IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


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23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14580 

(716)872-4S03 


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CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHM/ICMH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


ii^ 


Canadian  Institute  for  Historicai  IMicroreproductions  /  Institut  Canadian  de  microreproductiona  historiques 


Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notaa/Notas  tachniquaa  at  bibliographiquaa 


Tha  Inatituta  haa  attamptad  to  obtain  tha  baat 
original  copy  availabia  for  filming.  Faaturaa  of  thia 
copy  which  may  ba  bibliographieally  uniqua, 
which  may  altar  any  of  tha  imagaa  in  tha 
raproduction.  or  which  may  aignificantly  changa 
tha  uaual  mathod  of  filming,  ara  chackad  balow. 


□   Colourad  covara/ 
Couvartura  da  coulaur 


I — I   Covara  damagad/ 


D 


n 


D 


D 


Couvartura  andommagia 

Covara  raatorad  and/or  laminatad/ 
Couvartura  raataurte  at/ou  palliculia 


nn   Covar  titia  miaaing/ 


D 


La  titra  da  couvartura  manqua 


Colourad  mapa/ 

Cartaa  giographiquaa  an  coulaur 


Colourad  ink  (i.a.  othar  than  blxa  or  black)/ 
Encra  da  coulaur  (i.a.  autra  qua  blaua  ou  noira) 


I — I   Colourad  plataa  and/or  illustrationa/ 


Planchaa  at/ou  illuatrationa  9n  coulaur 


Bound  with  othar  matarial/ 
Rali*  avac  d'autraa  documanta 


0   Tight  binding  may  cauaa  ahadowa  or  diatortion 
along  intarior  margin/ 

La  re  liura  tarrta  paut  cauaar  da  I'ombra  ou  da  la 
diatoraion  la  long  da  la  marga  intiriaura 


Blank  laavaa  addad  during  rastoration  may 
appaar  within  tha  taxt.  Whanavar  poaaibla.  thaaa 
hava  baan  omittad  from  filming/ 
II  aa  paut  qua  cartainaa  pagaa  blanchaa  ajoutiaa 
lora  d'una  raatau  ration  apparaiaaant  dana  la  taxta, 
maia.  lorsqua  caia  Atait  poaaibla.  caa  pagaa  n'ont 
paa  M  filmAaa. 

Additional  commanta:/ 
Commantairaa  supplAmantairaa: 


Tha 
tot 


L'Inatitut  a  microfilm*  la  maiiiaur  axamp;s>ira 
qu'il  lui  a  it*  poaaibla  da  aa  procurar.  Las  ditaiis 
da  cat  axamplaira  qui  sont  paut-Atra  uniquaa  du 
point  da  vua  bibliographiqua,  qui  pauvant  modifier 
una  imaga  raproduita.  ou  qui  pauvant  axigar  una 
modification  dana  la  mithoda  normala  da  filmaga 
aont  indiquia  ci-daaaous. 


{~~|   Coloured  pagaa/ 


D 


Pagaa  da  coulaur 

Pagaa  damaged/ 
Pagaa  andommagiaa 

Pagaa  raatorad  and/oi 

Pagaa  reatauriaa  at/ou  pelliculies 

Pagaa  diacoloured,  stained  or  foxet 
Pagaa  dicoiorias.  tachaties  ou  piquies 

Pagaa  detached/ 
Pages  ditachies 

Showthrough/ 
Tranaparanca 

Quality  of  prir 

Quality  inigala  de  I'impression 

Includes  supplementary  matarii 
Comprend  du  material  supplimentaira 

Only  edition  available/ 
Seule  Mition  disponible 


r~n  Pagaa  damaged/ 

|~n  Pagaa  raatorad  and/or  laminated/ 

r~~|  Pagaa  discoloured,  stained  or  foxed/ 

|~n  Pagaa  detached/ 

I      I  Showthrough/ 

I      I  Quality  of  print  varies/ 

I      I  Includes  supplementary  material/ 

rn  Only  edition  available/ 


Th« 
pos 
ofl 
filn 


Orii 
bat 
tha 
aid 
oth 
fira 
aioi 
ori 


The 
aha 
Tl« 
wh 

Ma 
difl 
ant 
bofl 
rigl^ 
req 
ma^ 


Pagaa  wholly  or  partially  obscured  by  errata 
slips,  tissues,  etc..  have  been  refilmed  to 
ensure  the  best  posribia  image/ 
Lea  pagaa  totalament  ou  partieliement 
obscurcies  par  un  feuillet  d'errata,  una  peiure, 
etc.,  ont  it*  filmies  *  nouveau  de  fapon  i 
obtanir  la  mailleure  imaga  possible. 


Thia  it9m  is  filmed  at  the  reduction  ratio  checked  below/ 

Ce  document  est  film*  au  taux  da  reduction  indiqui  ci-dassous. 


10X 

14X 

18X 

22X 

26X 

30X 

y\ 

12X 


16X 


20X 


24X 


28X 


32X 


Th0  copy  film«d  h«r«  hM  b««n  r«produc«d  thtnkt 
to  tlio  gonorotlty  of: 

Douglas  Library  .|i 

Queen's  Univaraity 


L'exemplairo  f ilmi  fut  reprodult  grica  A  la 
gAnAroalt*  da: 

Douglaa  Library 
Queen's  University 


The  Imagaa  appearing  hare  are  the  best  quality 
possible  considering  the  condition  and  legibility 
of  the  original  copy  and  in  icaeping  with  the 
filming  contract  apecificatlons. 


Original  copies  In  printed  paper  covers  are  filmed 
beginning  with  the  front  cover  and  ending  on 
the  last  page  with  a  prlntMl  or  iiluatratad  Impres- 
sion, or  the  bacic  cover  when  appropriate.  All 
other  original  copies  are  filmed  beginning  on  the 
first  page  with  a  printed  or  iiluatratad  Imprea- 
slon,  and  ending  on  the  last  page  with  a  printed 
or  illustrated  impreasion. 


The  last  recorded  frame  on  eech  microfiche 
shall  contain  the  symbol  — »>  (meaning  "CON- 
TINUED"), or  the  symbol  V  (meaning  "END"), 
whichever  applies. 


Lea  iRiages  suKrantes  ont  4tA  reproduites  avac  le 
plus  grand  soin,  compte  tenu  de  la  condition  at 
da  la  nettetA  de  i'exempialra  fllmA,  at  en 
conformiti  avac  las  conditions  du  contrat  de 
fiimage. 

Lea  exemplaires  orlginaux  dont  la  couverture  en 
papier  est  imprimie  sont  filmte  en  commenpant 
par  la  premier  plet  et  en  termlnant  solt  par  la 
darnlAre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'lmpr«iJSion  ou  d'lilustration,  solt  par  le  second 
plat,  salon  le  cas.  Tous  las  autres  exemplaires 
orlginaux  sont  fllmte  en  commen9ant  par  la 
premlAre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impresslon  ou  d'lilustration  et  en  termlnant  par 
la  darnlAre  page  qui  comporte  une  telle 
empreinte. 

Un  dea  symboiaa  suivants  apparattra  sur  la 
darnlAre  image  de  cheque  microfiche,  selon  le 
cas:  le  symbolc  — ►  signifle  "A  SUIVRE",  le 
symbols  ▼  signifie  "FIN". 


IMaps,  plates,  charts,  etc.,  may  be  filmed  at 
different  reduction  ratios.  Those  too  large  to  be 
entirely  included  in  one  exposure  are  filmed 
beginning  in  the  upper  left  hand  corner,  left  to 
right  and  top  to  bottom,  as  many  frames  as 
required.  The  following  diagrams  lllustrete  the 
method: 


Lea  cartes,  planches,  tableaux,  etc.,  peuvent  Atre 
filmte  k  des  taux  de  reduction  diff Arents. 
Lorsque  le  document  est  trop  grand  pour  Atre 
reproduit  en  un  seul  ciichA,  11  est  filmA  A  partir 
de  Tangle  supArieur  gauche,  de  gauche  A  drolte, 
et  de  haut  en  bas,  en  prenant  le  nombre 
d'Images  nAcessalre.  Lea  diagrammes  suivants 
Itlustrant  la  mAthode. 


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AT  ANY  PRICE 


.=^v?",»^.    -^,"    -^     .■*•■   V -^Tt" 


f^  "Eivetj  man  should  read  this  work  oarefUlly,  anc: 
prepare  to  unite  against  the  Republioan  party,  ere  the 
Union  shall  be  rent  asunder  by  their  fanatioism. 


HELPER'S  IMPENDING  CRISIS 

DISSECTED.  ^ 

BY  JUDGE  WOT:FE,  OF  VIEGINIA.       ^ 


■■*»'; 


ENDOBSED  BT  MOBE  T^AXT  TWO  HUHDBEB 
MSMBE&S  OF  CONGBESS. 

Cloth,  $1.00.    Half  Calf,  $1.25.     Paper  Covers,  60cts. 


iiV 


244  ^vo  Pages. 


The  Most  Powerfully  Written  Work  in  the  English  Language. 


* 

¥. 


4  m  mm  »• 


;  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  I.         . 

The  Blaek  Republican  PHrty  a  Dixnnlou  Party— The  Unanswerable  Proofa^Thelr  Open 
Hostility  to  tiie  Soutii— The  Fanatics  of  tlie  Nortii  urginj;  on  ii  "  Criiiis"  tliat  will  re- 
bound on  the  heads  of  the  Freemen  of  the  North,  and  briii>(  down  Labor  iu  tlie  North 
to  Starvation  Prices !— The  Ball  sot  ih  motion— Strike  of  Six  Thouwiud  Mechanics  ia 
llassachiisotts— First  Frufts  of  Bepublicauism.  -- 

CHAPTER  II. 

Statistical  Fallacies  of  Helper's  Book — The  True  State  of  the  Case — Large  Balance  la 
fkvor  of  the  South — ^The  boasted  Free  Labor  of  the  North  overshadowed  by  (he  Pro- 
ductions of  the  South — Report  of  the  Secretary  of  tlie  United  States  Treasury — The 
Bepublican  Party  trving  to  Dissolve  the  Union  of  the  States — The  South  in  favor  of 
Perpetuating  the  Union  of  these  States,  as  long  as  their  rights  are  respeeted— Bepub- 
lican Party  a  Sectional  Party — ^The  Proofs  from  Northern  Men.   .  ,  .■        :^ 

CHAPTER  IIL 

Helper's  Slanders  on  the  Non-Slaveholding  People  of  the  South  Refund- Better  chance 
in  the  South  for  a  Poor  Man  tlian  in  the  North — The  Proofs — Names  of  Prominent 
Statesmen  of  the  South  who  have  risen  from  Poverty  to  the  highest  Eminence — The 
Negro  well  treated  in  the  South — Richly  repaid  for  his  Labor — Comparisons  between 
the  poor  Wliites  of  the  North  and  the  Negro  of  the  South — The  Strike  of  the  poor 
Whites  In  Massachusetts — They  admit  that  they  are  wokse  off  than  the  Slaves  In  the 
South. 

CHAPTER  IV. 

The  Hypocrisy  of  Helper — In  favor  of  Slavery  in  his  Work  issued  1833 — Driven  from 
the  South  for  stealing  three  hundred  dollars — Writes  "  Helper's  Impending  Crisis 
of  the  South"— Helper  Denounces  Free  Negroes  in  his  "Land  of  Gold" — Valuable 
Statistical  information  lu  regard  to  the  Power  and  Wealth  of  the  South — Seaports  of 
the  South — Shore  line  of  States  on  the  Atlantic  Ocean  in  f^vor  of  the  South  of  eight- 
een thousand  miles  more  than  the  North— The  power  of  the  South  to  establish  and 
maintain  a  separate  and  independent  Government  against  the  united  North  combined 
—The  military  strength  of  tbe  South  estimated  at  six  million  Whites— Her  immense 
resoorces  in  case  of  War. 


.-.^  V-*  ^t'i.t  t^         i,  ^fjj^f  -J. 


l^sP^M^ 


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jffjf  ,"  *t •»♦<-•■" 'if<r»  '*'}.'  ■'_ 


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(./<.>  Ll^    v-;^K    ;v.v        cHAPTERV.    ■     ■•'  ••■         '      '"-■'^" 

|HeIp«r'«  IgBoraBM  of  the  fMling:!  of  the  Nnn-Slaveholdln(f  FopnlRtlon  of  the  South  t» 
their  Country— The  Negroet>  of  the  South  true  to  their  Masters— The  Proofs  given  at 
Harper's  Ferry— Not  a  Slave  attempted  to  run  away— The  South  have  no  fears  of  the 
uprisinjf  of  the  Xiegroes — How  the  Negroes  aided  their  Masters  to  repel  the  British 
under  Lord  Corut  allls,  and  at  New  Orleans-^Beport  of  the  Vlrgiaia  Legislature  oa 
(he  Harper's  Ferry  Outrage.  ..•.  >.   __.  .  ^ 

CHAPTER  VL 

iBepublican  Party  Ruining  the  Trade  of  the  North— Trade  Crushed- The  Bankruptcy 
of  the  entire  North  Predicted— Helper's  Advice  to  the  North  adopted  by  the  entire 
South— Repoblioan  Party  Kesponslble  for  the  Withdrawal  of  the  Southern  Trade — 
"The  Shoe  commences  to  Piuch" — Helper's  Statistics  of  the  Prices  of  Land  in  the 
South  demolished.     ■■-,,_  >.-  •  « 

CHAPTER  VII.  '         .'  •■ 

iThe  Declaration  of  Independence  quoted  to  prove  that  the  Negro  was  not  born  "  Created 
Free  and  Equal"  with  the  White  Man— Judge  Taney's  Decision  in  the  Dred  Seott 
Case  quoted  to  prove  the  Author's  assertions. 

.  "H  '    "        CHAPTER  VIII.  . 

|Korthern  Testimony  in  regard  to  the  Aggressions  of  the  Republican  Party  against  the 
South — Extracts  from  the  Speeches  of  the  Hon.  J.  A.  Logau  and  Stephen  A.  Douglass 
—The  Damage  Inflicted  upou  the  Northern  Merchants  and  Manufticturers  by  the  Re- 
publican Party — The  ProofA— The  South  In  favor  of  Disuuion  in  certain  Contingent 
cles— Eloquent  Defense  of  the  South  by  Hoh.  Horatio  G.  Seymour,  of  New  York,  and 
Col.  J.  W.  Wall,  of  New  Jersey. 


.  S- 


-  ',  CHAPTER  IX. 

The  South  united  to  a  Man,  ready  to  beat  back  the  Northern  Hordes  with  Cannon  and 
Sword — Armories  goluK  up  In  the  South — Manufactories  increasing  in  every  Southern 
State — The  South  could  create  a  Bread  Rlct  In  the  North  any  season,  by  withhold- 
ing the  Cotton  Crop — Northern  men  should  ponder  well  over  these  /acts,  before 
urging  on  this  Republican  Crusade  against  the  South. 

CHAPTER  X.  { 

Bloquent  Defense  of  the  South  by  the  Hon.  L.  Q.  C.  Lamar,  of  Mississippi- Who  In-  ' 
troduced  Slavery  into  this  Country  ? — The  licpublicaus — Their  Hypocrisy— A  Dlsso> 
lutiou  of  the  Union  inevitable,  if  the  Republicans  oacceed — A  War  of  Extermination 
Predicted,  If  once  commenced- Are  the  Northern  People  prepared  for  this? — Answer 
at  the  Ballot-Boxes. 

CHAPTER  XL  .<  •         .' 

|Thb  Bible  sustains  Slavery — Christ  sustained  Slavery — Slavery  has  existed  Inevery' 
age  since  the  foundation  of  the  World— The  Proofs— The  Negro  as  he  is— His  incapa- 
city to  govern  himself— Free  Negroes  relapse  Into  Barbarism — The  Proofs— Conclu- 
sion and  Appeal  to  the  Northern  People  to  sustain  this  Glorious  Confederacy,  by 
putting  down  the  Republican  Leaders.  ....  ,,  ■       ;,,,,, 


10,000   AGENTS  WANTED  FOR  THIS  GREAT  WORK. 


■•■-r/- 


LARGE  DISCOUNTS  ALLOWED  TO  CANVASSERS. 


A  Large  Discount  made  to  Postmasters  and  Agents  everywhere.    ^,, : 

THREE  NEW  WORKS  NOW  READY!  r 

Address,  '     '  *    ■  '  *       ^  ^ 

y   JAMES  T.  LI.OYD,  Agt.,  PubUsher, 

Philadelphia,  Pa.       '4 


■■m 


BEADY. 


#    '       TRACED  IN  THE  ARCTIC  OCEAN. 

BoiQg  a  narra^tivo  of  the  voyaee  made  by  the  scrow  steamer  ^' Fox" 
in  search  of  Sir  John  Franklin  and  his  companions.  ]5y  Captain 
MoGlintock,  Commander  of  the  Expedition.  8000  copies  subscribed 
for  in  England  in  advance  of  publication,  at  $4  per  copy.  American 
Edition  only  $1.  1  vol.  12mo.  440  pages,  with  a  preface  by  Sir 
Koderick  Murchison,  F.  R.  S.  Sixteen  Illustrations  and  a  Map 
of  the  Arctic  Ocean,  showing  the  truck  of  Sir  John  Franklin  and 
his  companions,  after  abandoning  their  ships,  in  their  dreary  march 
towards  <<  Great  Fish  River,"  as  they  dropped  dead  one  by  one 
from  starvation  and  cold — their  bleached  bones  a  warning  to  all 
future  Arodo  explorers.      •„  ,.•■.. 

A  Record  found  written  by  Captain  Franklin,  oivinq 

PARTICULARS  OP  THEIR  SUFFERINGS  UP  TO  THE  TfME  OF  HIS  DEATH 

IN  1847 ;  also  the  record  kept  by  Captain  Crozier,  six  years  after 
Franklin's  death.  Skeletons  of  many  of  tlie  doomed  Arctic  explorer* 
discovered  bleached  by  the  Arctic  snows,  forming 

THE  MOST  INTERESTING,  TRUTHFUL,  AND  MELANCHOLY  NARRA- 
TIVE OF  ARCTIC  GLOOM  AND  ADVENTURE  EVER  PENNED. 

This  work  is  published  from  advance  sheets  of  the  Enr/Ush  Edition, 
verbatim  et  literatim,  which  sells  at  $4  in  London.  The  American 
Edition  selling  at  only  $1,  Library  style,  bound  strongly  in  cloth. 

To  those  who  have  sympathized  with  the  lost  Arctic  Explorer  and 
his  noble  wife  in  her  great  efforts  to  unravel  the  mystery  concerning 
the  fate  of  Sir  John  Franklin,  this  volume  will  be  a  rich  treasure. 
Few  can  read  this  simple  narrative  without  shedding  tears  at  the 
recital  of  their  dreary  and  hopeless  march  over  the  wide  fields  of 
Arctic  ice  and  snow  in  hopes  of  reaching  Great  Fish  River  .ere  their 
last  morsel  should  be  consumed ;  how  they  perished  one  by  one  in 
their  tracks — their  heart-rending  record  handed  from  one  to  the  other, 
to  be  filled  with  the  history  of  their  sufferings,  in  hopes  that  eventu- 
ally their  friends  in  England  might  know  of  their  sad  end. 

This  Book  closes  the  Arctic  Explorations  for  ever. 
Agents  wanted  in  every  district  in  America  for  this  work. 
Any  intelligent  man  or  woman  can  make  $5  a  day.  Sent  by  mail, 
free  of  postage,  on  receipt  of  price.  Send  for  circulars  of  three  new 
hookSf  now  ready.     Address 

J.  T.  LLOTD, 

m     ^  '  Publisher,  PhUadelphia,  Pa. 

In  Paper  Covers,  only  60  ct$.  ,     ^  .         .)^^. 


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GODFREY'S   NARRATIVE 


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IN    SEAHCIl    OF 


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SIR   JOHN   FRANKLIN, 


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BIOGRAPHY  OF  T)R.  ELISHA  K.  KANE. 


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WM.  C.  GODFREY 


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■■tonl  ft«eordlng  to  let  of  QoBgnH  ia  the  jmt  1807,  by 

X.    LLOTD, 

to  U«  01«rk't  OftM  of  th«  Diatriet  Coart  of  the  United.  SUt^  lo  ana  ba  IM 
Eastern  Dlatriot  of  Pennsylvania. 


PHiLADii-nrtA :  ^; 

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PREFACE. 


It  has  been  a  cause  of  deep  regret  with  the  author  and 
publisher  of  this  Narrative,  that  the  circumstances  referred 
to  in  the  last  chapter  of  the  boolc,  ha?e  delayed  the  publi- 
cation. As  some*  passages  in  this  volume  are  very  much 
at  variance  with  the  common  accounts  we  have  of  the 
temper  and  character  of  Dr.  Kane,  and  likewise  reflect 
somewhat  on  his  conduct  as  a  Naval  Commander,  it  woirid 
have  been  more  satisfactory  if  these  charges  had  appeared 
during  the  Doctor's  lifetime.  But  the  explanations  given 
by  Godfrey  himself  show  that  the  earlier  publication  of  hit 
book  was  impossible  ;  however  anxiously  he  might  desire 
.to  vindicate  himself,  and  to  remove  the  stains  affixed  to  his 
cliaracter  by  the  unfavorable  mention  made  of  him  in  '^t. 
Kane's  book.  It  may  bo  remarked  that,  if  Dr.  Kane 
were  now  living,  he  could  not  repel  Godfrey's  charge! 
without  a  negation  of  his  own  statements.  He  has  fully 
admitted,  in  his  Journal,  the  most  material  facts  connected 
with  that  extraordinary  affair — the  attempt  to  take  God- 
frey's life.  He  has  not  only  related  those  facts  distinctly, 
and  with  very  little  difference  from  Godfrey's  own  account ; 
but  he  has  related  them  in  a  manner  which  seems  to  call 
for  public  i^prob^tion.  Thia  last-meiij^ed  circumstanc* 
<  l»     '■     ■■  ■  "       '     -   ""^^-'     (5)      ■ 


6 


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Batisiies  ns  that  Dr.  Kane  thought  that  he  was  doing  hii 
duty  on  that  occasion.    Perhaps  very  few  persons  who 
read  his  book  attentively  will  come  to  the  same  conclasion. 
The  circnmstances  to  be  considered  in  connection  with  this 
matter  are  :    1.  That  Godfrey  had  formerly  been  dismissied  , 
by  his  Commander,  with  permission  to  return  to  the  United 
States.     Did  this  permission  release  him  from  his  compact 
to  serve  for  a  certain  term  on  board  of  the  Advance  t    2.  \ 
When,  ander  the  pressure  of  starvation,  he  returned  with  - 
his  companions,  to  solicit  relief  from  Dr.  Kane,  did  this 
iretorn  renew  his  original  obligations  fihI  restore  him  to  his 
former  position  on  board  of  the  vessel  ?    3.  OotAd  ht  rea- 
sonably be  suspected  of  an  intention  to  desert  in  such  a  . 
country  as  Nortliem  Greenland  arid  in  the  midst  of  an  Arctic 
winter  ?    If  he  did  desert,  in  sach  circumstances,  would^ 
his  example  be  likely  to  be  followed  by  others  of  the  l»rig*6 
cotittpany  ?    4.  Was  his  return  to  the  vessel  with  a  load  of 
provisions  such  an  act  as  might  b^  expected  from  a  de- 
serter f  ^  Was  the  Commander  justified  in  shooting  a  man 
for  a  mere  refusal  to  come  on  board  ?    6.  It  appears  that, 
according  to  the  contract  made  with  the  seamen  before  ' 
tJieir  departure  from  New  York,  the  strict  regutattons  of  > 

^.  the  ytvaA  service  were  to  be  dispensed  with  on  this  Expe- 
dition ;  the  discipline  of  the  brig  could  not,  therefore, 

^^tteMtf  the  Commands  in  resorting  to  such  an  eztremo 
measure  as  shooting  a  man  to  enforce  an  order. 

But,  as  the  time  has  past  when  Dr.  Kane  could  be  held 
responsible  for  this  act,  we  are  disposed  to  consider  it  aa 
an  errot'  of  the  judgment ;  and  it  may  be  easier  to  excuse 
him  on  that  score  than  to  overlook  the  deliberate  wrong 
which  he  has  done  to  William  C.  Godfrey  by  making  vague 
charges  of  delinqneney  against  this  man,  who  appears,  even 


■ait"*  '■ " '  r       ■  ■      "  *■  ■      J         r     \ 

■>• 
■  ■'^  •    .'  '/.  •      PREFACE.        .,■','  ■        ;   ■        7 

.'  ■.-■      .,  •      ..•  .       ,■  .»,  jV*.-'i'i  .  .«-  .     -,   ■•    .        "■'. 

from  the  Doctor's  own  statements,  to  have  heen  the  oonstant 
friend  and  benefactor  of  the  whole  brig's  company. 
,  It  is  a  remarkable  fact  that  Qodfrey  appears,  in  the 
I>ootor'8  narrative,  only  as  a  half-pardoned  criminal,  even 
when  acoonnts  are  given  of  signal  services  performed  by 
hipa  at  the  imminent  hazard  of,  his  own  life!  And  yet  we 
have  found  scarcely  any  specification  of  a  fault  of  sufficient 
magnitude  to  call  for  a  private  reprimand;  neverthelesB, 
this  ttnfortnnate  person  has  been  rebaked  by  his  eommand- 
ing  officer  before  the  whole  world,  and  he  may  even  be 
handed  down  to  posterity  as  an  object  of  distrust  and 
abhorrence.  .  '  ' 

The  death  of  Dr.  Kane  docs  not  make  i«  less  incumbent 
on  our  author  to  clear  himself  from  undeserved  censure.  If 
any  of  the  Doctor's  fellow- voyagers,  who  profess  so  much 
love  and  reverence  for  the  Doctor^  memory,  can  show  how 
Godfrey  merited  th^  harsh  treatment  he  has  received,  they 
can  do  so  as  easily  as  Dr.  Kane  bimsj^lf  could,  if  he  were 
now  alive.  ' 

Although  the  two  parties  to  this  singular  controversy 
occupied  very  different  positions  on  board  of  the  exploring 
brig  Advance,  at  the  bar  of  the  American  public  thete  is 
no  recognizable  distinction  between  Elisha  K.  Kan,e  and 
William  0.  Godfrey.  We  feel  confident  that  the  decision 
of  the  public  in  this  case  will  be  in  accordance  with  the 
dictates  of  "  even-handed  justice." 

The  merits  of  this  work,  as  a  complete  and  circumstantial 
history  of  the  last  Arctic  Exploring  Expedition,  will  be 
acknowledged,  w««  think,  by  every  candid  and  intelligent 
reader. 


f.«-7'i'» 


Philadelphia  May  30,  185T. 


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CHAPTER    I.  > 

common  sailor's  motives  for  going  on  a  Polar  Expedition     '' 
—The  Author's  particular  inducement — No  hope  of  glory 
or  peouniarj  profit — His  anticipaticms  of  perils  and  Buffer*  ,:; 
ings — ^His  Reliance  on  his  physical  energies — ^The  fate  of  ;^^;.' ; 
the  Arctic  voyagers — Dr.  Kane's  unhappy  destiny — ^His 
funeral  honors— Reportis  concerning  them — The  Author's 
vindication— ;His  reasons  for  writing  a  book, Id 

- ,_ '-v^^il-^.^;.  ■chapter  II.  ■'-"■'.•/';'*:r^''^':-^' 

)bject  of  tfie  Expedition — ^Where  the  exploration  was  to  bei 
carried  on — Groenland-—A  frightful  country— Land  travel-  \ 
ing  in  the  Polar  regions — Dog  sledges— Navigatnn  of  the  ^ 
icy  seas — Dangerous  sailing — The  Author's  views  respect- 
ing  the  fate  of  Sir  John  Franklin  and  his  party — Tribute 
to  Lady  Franklin — The  absurdities  of  Arctic  exploration! 
— ^Queer  fancy  of  a  great  explorer^The  Author's  plebeian 
notions S7 


t      :«  CHAPTER    IIL  *     V 

[he  voyage  begun— Public  demonstrations — The  Author's  v .',  * 
emotions — lie  alludes  to  an  nffair  of  the  heart — Catalogue'  :,-, 
of  the  officers  and  crew — The  exploring  brig,  Adoanc^-^    , 
proceeds  to  St.  John's,  Newfoundland — The  officers  and 
orew  lionized — The  voyage  oontinued-~Arrival  at  Fisker- 
naes-^  Hospitable    reception -~  The    Esquimaux — Their 
comical  appearance— Their  peculiarities  of  tiharacter^— 
Hans  ChristiaSi  the  ccmmaud< 


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CONTENTS. 


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» 


.t"/' 


CHAPTER    IV.       -^  *^^> 

Fiskernnes — Tho  Author's  hard  service — Visit  to  n  Moratian 

mission  house — Two  queer  old  missionaries — Sujert<tppen 

•     — ^Its  magnificent  peaks — Arrival  at  Proven — Qi-and  fancy 

'"    ball-^The  American  sailors  dance  for  the  honcMr  of  their 

conntry— The  Author  invited  to  open  a  dancing  school— 

His  qualifications— We  proceed  to  Upernavick— Tho  towp 

and  its  inhabitants — Mr.  Petersen,. 47 

'  '  CHAPTER  V.  , 
We  leave  Upernavick  and  bid  adieu  to  the  habitable  world- 
The  Devil's  Nip— Iceberjjs — Their  magnificence  and  sub- 
limity— Rocks  imbedded  in  their  sides — This  phenomenon 
accounted  for  —  The  Author's  moonlight  musings  —  A.„ 
strange  fancy — Our  brig  in  danger — Miraculous  escape- 
Towed  by  an  iceberg — Arrival  at  Htikluyt  Island— ^Dr. 
Kane  and  the  Author  catch  a  cold  duck, l^,,,,     54 

«  CHAPTER  VI. 
Mr.  William  Morton's  famous  discovery— The  Author's  mis* 
givings  on  the  subject— Visionary  mistakes  and  hallucina- 
tions of  Arctic  travelers — Bbod-stained  snow— No  ac- 
counting for  the  phenomenon — ^We  enter  Smith's  Sound 
and  meet  with  great  obstacles— The  Author's  peculiar 
hardships — His  unpopularity  among  the  X)fficev8 — Hints 
for  American  seamen, 64 

.      -/:,.,  CHAPTER  vii. 

We  visit  a  desolate  island — Melancholy  signs  of  former  in- 
habitants— ^We  are  frozen  up — Extricate  ourselves  by  bard 
labor — Anchor  under  Qod-send  ledge — Terrific  storm- 
Desperate  situation  of  the  Advance— K  bold  expedient — 
We  are  again  towed  by  an  iceberg — Our  miraculous  de- 
liverance—- Probable  fate  of  Sir  John  Franklin, 70 


'iS?;f!c;4tJt»'f';.?'"*'i, 


CHAPTER    Vin. 


^i^'P.^ft* 


Abatement  of  tho  storm — Rep&iring  damages — Dr.  Kane  and 
several  other  persons  get  adrift — ^The  Author  goes  to  their 
assistance — A  golden  opportunity  lost^^The  couimaDuer's 
projects — A  consultation  of  the  whole  brig's  company — 


p* 


CONTENTS.  13 

■    ■  y        «■■    .  V  ' 

The  Author  makes  a  speech  which  astonishes  and  dis-  '- ' 
pleases  the  officers — He  is  suspected  of  a  mutinous  dispo- 

sition, • • 1  30 


CHAPTER    IX.  ..    :- 

The  Advance  proceeds  further  northward — ^Hard  work  for  - 
the  sailors — The  Author  and  several  others  of  the  crew 
start  en  a  sledge  journey — They  break  through  the  ice— • 
Severe  sufferings— Hydropathy — Sleeping  in  ice— Trouble*  ■''  , 
some  oookingt^Ascent  of  an  iceberg — A  singular  fox-hunt 
— ^A  prize  secured — Qrent  rejoicings — Account  of  the  blue 
fox — ^Its  valuable  fUr,  etc., 81 

;#•'■    '      4'h-'     CHAPTER    X.     '''^^iif:^*K-'ris^^^.v  ' 
What  our  sledge  party  discovered — No  open  Polar  sea—  • 
Alarming  condition  of  the  travelers — An  audacious  fox—     .  ; 
The  Author's  power  of  endurance — Several  of  his  com-    ,. 
panions  in  despair^rhcy  are  in  danger  of  freezing  to 
death — Their  inclination  to  go  to  sleep — Suffering  makes      • 
them  insane — Provisions  exhausted — Miraculous  preserva- 
tion,  102 

"ff'i,^?-".''^"^^-   "'Chapter  .xl       t^--^ 'i ■.-'#*  ^-  .. 

Our  sledge  party  return  to  the  brig — ^We  find  'the  Advance  '  • 
in  her  winter  harbor — Preparations  for  the  dark  season — 
Strange  fancy  of  the  dog8-*-Their  troublesome  behavior — 
Why  th&y  like  human  society— The  Author's  objections  to  '■  «. 
dogs  as  draught  animals— Another  sledge  journey — Hor- 
rors of  th^  Arctic  winter-^— Dr.  Kane's  warlike  demonstra- 
tion against  the  rats, '  109 

■'■'^■'-'-''''"^'^^^     CHAPTER  .  XII.    ---M-  '^^^^■;.  -^ 

Termination  of  the  dark  season — ^Grand  jubilee — An  ex- 
ploring party — Inauspicious  beginning  of  the  journey— 
Our  traveling  costume — Qloomy  anticipations  of  the  ttof 
velers — The  Author's  pet  fox — His  great  achievements  ^. 
among  tiie  rats — A  suggestion  for  sporting  gentlemen- 
Singular  rat  trap — Sad  intelligence  from  the  exploring 

party......... ,, «....i.....<..  124 

2 


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C0NT1NT8. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 
Dr.  Kado  Rnd  several  men  go  to  the  relief  of  the  perooni 
aappoiod  to  bo  dying — Slow  and  troublesome  traveling — 
Ohlsen's  noble  conduct — He  walks  twenty  miles  witliout 
any  toe»— Dr.  Kane's  sufferings — His  life  in  danger — We 
reach  the  tent  where  oar  sick  companions  are  lying — 7)iei' 
uiiraeuloui  preserration  from  death-^Dr.  Kane's  prayer,..  134 


CHAPl'ER    XIV. 

A  terrible  journey  over  the  ice — Suicidal  drowsiness  of  ottt 
people — They  become  desperately  somnolont-^Dr.  Knne' 
and  the  Author  travel  by  themselves — The  Doctor's  vision 
of  a  bear — The  Author's  troublesome  dutias — He  carries 
the  doctor  on  his  shoulder — The  Doctor  mistakes  hini  for 
a  bear — The  Author  shaves  the  Doctor  with  a  jack-knive 
—Strange  fact  respecting  spirituous  liquors, .^ . . 


143 


^'t./ii:.5,^i>.:ik.:;>i,.. .     CHAPTER    XV.    v-'^-*^".--^'--^-'^'^;!^^.. 

Return  of  the  rescue  party — Our  great  danger  and  providen*'^ ' 
tial  deliverance — The  whole  company  become  delirious^ 
Strange  phases  of  insanity — The  Author's  feelings  of  de#»>  • 
peration — Terrible  sufferings  of  his  half-frozen  companions 
— Arrival  at  the  brig — Death  and  burial  of  Schubert  and  .. 
Baker — We  are  visited  by  savage'  Esquimaux — Hans  Chris- ' 
tian's  romantic  love  affair, 151 


-MJlJ.' 


^..   .-J. 


•;   •  CHAPTER  ,  XVI.  Mf-'  '   .  •':/¥■ 
Dr.  Hayes  and  the  Author  cross  Smith's  Sound — ^Trouble! 
and  disasters — Suecessful  explorations — Hqrrors  of  star*  . 
vation — The  Author's  bouts  and  breeches  used  for  feeding'^ 
dogs — Hard  fare — The  grand  excursion  of  the  season— 'r 
Sickness  prevails — Dangerous  illness  of  Dr.  Kane — B^ars 
steal  our  provisions — Our  desperate  condition— We   are 
obliged  to  turn  back — Various  afflictions, 163 


fftv 


V  &H'y.'-' 


CHAPTER    XVII.  ^^v^^^i 

^   Several  traveling  parties  sent  out — Their  ill  success — Morton  "^ 
*  and  Hans  Christian  travel  northward — ^Their  famous  dis-*  , 

.-    coveries — A  separation  of  our  company — ^The  Author,  with  ^ 
seven  companions,  permitted  to  leave  the  brig — Theytra*^  . 


*j. 


4 


OONTIlfTS.     4, 


15 


Tel  southward — Are  overtaken  "by  the  winter— Their  an- 
paralleled  sufferingi  from  cold  and  famine — The  Author  H 
visits  an  Esquimaux  settlement— The  generosity  and  be-  ' 
nevolence  of  these  "  barbarians"—- Their  houses,  modes 
of  living,  etc., i 173 


CHAPTER    XVIII.                   r '    in 
The  Author  and  his  party  endure  all  the  horrors  of  famine-^  "■' 
They  resolve  to  return  to  the  brig — The  Author's  reluct*  -^ 
ance  to  go  back— lie  complies  with  the  wishes  of  the  map  .^> 
jority-*  Another  troublesome  journey — The  Esquimaux 
try  to  out-yankee  the  Yankees — They  miss  their  figur^-^ 
Virtues  of  "Godfrey's  Cordial"— The  Author's  success-  *' 
fttl  stratagem, .< 18G 


CHAPTER  XIX.  ?^^ 
The  wanderers  return  to  the  brig — Some  of  them  are  taken 
sick — Dr.  Hayes  has  his  toes  cut  off— Starvation  on  ship- 
board— Prevalence  of  the  scurvy— The  men  dying  for  want 
of  fresh  provisions— Several  parties  sent  out  to  procure 
food — ^The  cold  drives  them  back — The  Author's  solitary 
journey  of  ninety-five  miles — His  daring  entefprise  suc- 
ceeds— He  obtains  a  supply  of  fresh  meat — More  of  Hans 
Christian's  love  affair, 


197 


CHAPTER  XX. 
The  Author  returns  to  the  brig  with  a  load  of  fresh  meat— 
His  warm  reception — He  becomes  a  target  for  pistol  and 
rifle  practice — Refuses  to  come  oii  board— Dr.  Kane  and 
Bonsali  try  to  compel  him — He  treats  the  doctor  disrespect- 
fully and  retires  under  a  galling  fire — His  desperate  jour- 
ney back  to  Etah — He  is  overpowered  by  the  cold,  and 
sinks  down  in  a  snow-drift — His  providential  escape, 


205 


CHAPTER    XXI. 

Hans  Christian  proves  that  fear  can  make  a  man  slckvoa  well 

,  as  love — Godfrey  continues  to  supply  the  brig's  company 

with  provisions— Dr.  Kane  sends  another  order  for  him  to 

come  on  board— He  disobeys — The  Doctor  comes  after 

him — ^An  exciting  dialogue  between  Kane  and  Godfrey— 


■-'% 


■**■ 


;■*:■-■ 
'■m^- 


W  :.     0OMTBMT8. 

When  threats  fail,  Godfrey  yields  to  persaasIon-^He  re* 
turns  to  the  brig,  end  meets  with  %  oDrdial  jreoeption  from 
his  oomredes, ^ m  •  • .'  214 


'£ 


CIIAPTEB    XXII. 
Dr.  Kane's  unfavorable  notice  of  Godfrey— Charge  of  doser*. 
tion  and  niutiny~Qodfrey's  defen8e---Comment8  of  the 
MnrthBriiUh  i?et»eio— That  periodioal  condemns  Dr.  Kane 
and  exculpates  Godfrey— ^odif^y  sul^mits  his  case  to  the 
arfoitratioti  of  public  opinion— A,  warning  to  oppressosst.  •  222 


CHAPTER    XXIII.  \ 

The  Author  goes  on  another  proTision-hunting  ezpedition—- 
He  chases  a  bear — Mutiny,  among  his  dogs — He  nhoots  a 
seal  and  satisfies  the  demands  of  the  canioe  mutineers- 
Scarcity  of  provisions  at  Etah — The  Author  extends  his 
journey  to  another  settlement — Meets  with  the  men  who  ^ 
took  '  Godfrey's  Cordial"— Their  appreciation  of  the  joke 
—A  bear  fight — Varioua  adventuresT-Qodfrey  returns  to 
he  brig  with  a  load  of  fresh  meat, * , . . . .  229 


CHAPTER    XXIV. 

Final  abandonment  of  the  brig  Advance — Her  probable  fate 
—Commencement  of  a  sledge  and  boat  journey — ^Herca-  „j 
lean  labors  and  slow  progress — Elopement  of  Hans  Chris- 
tian-Fatal accident— Death  and  burial  of  Mr.  Ohlsen,  the    ,. 
carpenter — Scarcity  of  provisions — Robbery  of  duck  nests    > 

'^  — Slaughter  of  sea-fowl — ^We  meet  a  Danish  boat — Arrival 
at  Upernavick — Our   reception— EmbaAation   for   the  *i 
United  States— Arrival  at  New  York, '241 


1 


CHAPTER    XXV. 
Concluding  observations — The  Author's  unfortunate  posi- 
tion— Results  of  the  Grinnell  expedition — ^What  was  dis- 
covered— ^Explorations  of  the  coast— Important  additions 
to  geographical  science— Meteorologfcal  observations — The 
^,     open  Polar  sea— Suggestions  by  the  Author— He  expresses 
-:^    X   his  willingness  to  join  another  expedition,. 252 


BiooiAroiCAL  Skitcb  or  Dr.  Eusha  K.  Kani,. 


263 


-He  »#. 

ion  Aom 


214 


of  the 
^C'Sone 
0  to  the 
MOW,..  222 

lition— . 
hoots  n 
Q^ere— 
ndg  bit 
en  who  \ 
he  joke 
urns  to 
•»....  229 


»Ie  fate 
Seron- 
Chrie.  \ 
»n,  the 
:  neati 
Lrrivftl 
p  the  'i 
'241 


poai. 
I  die. 
Uone 
-The 

98800 

••..  252 
...  263 


G] 


/  *■■  '  St' 


m^ 


El 

e 


'      f  , 


GODFREY'S    NARRATIVE 


or  TBM 


GMl^^-ELL  JiXPLOBING  EXPEDITION. 


CHAPTER    I. 

A  OOICMON  sailor's  MOTIVES  FOR  QOIKQ  ON  A  POLAR 
BZPSDITTON — THE  AUTHOR'S  PARTICULAR  INDUOI- 
MENT— :N0  HOPE  OF  QtORT  OR  PEOUNIART  PROFIT — 
BIS  ANTICIPATIONS  OF  PERILS  AND  SUFFERINGS — HIS 
RELIANCE  ON  HIS  PHTSIOAL  ENERGIES — ^THB  FATE  OF 
THE  ARCTIC  VOTAOERS— DR.  KANB*S  UNHAPPT  DBS- 
TINY — HIS  FUNERAL  HONORS — REPORTS  CONOBRNINe 
THEM-^-THB  AUTHOR'S  VINDICATION— HIS  BBASOITS 
tOI     '.tAITINa  A  BOOK. 


It  U  not  very  easy  for  people  in  general  to  ander- 
Btand  the  motives  wjiich  impel  some  men  to  undertake 
toilsome  and  dangerous  eDterprises,  without  much  rea« 
sonable  expectation  of  fame  or  profit.  In  exploring 
expeditions,  as  well  as  in  warfare,  the  commander  and 

19 


20 


GODFREY'S  NARRATIVE  OF  THE 


i 


*'>» 


Ill's  principal  officers  obtain  nearly  all  the  credit ;  and, 
if  there  are  any  emoluments  or  spoils,  they  commonly 
hiive  the  'Mion's  share"  of  these  also.  I  have  nothing 
t(t  say  against  the  propriety  and  justice  of  this  arrange- 
ment ;  but  while  the  honors  and  rewards  due  to  great 
undertakings  are  distributed  in  the  manner  just  speci- 
fied, it  may  be  difficult  for  some  people  to  conceive 
why  any  man  should  consent  to  play  a  subordinate 
part  in  those  undertakings — assuming  a  full  share  of 
the  dangers  and  inconveniences  thereof — without  any 
prospect  of  celebrity  or  pecuniary  recompense. 

In  the  last  arctic  voyage  of  Dr.  E.  K.  Kane  and  his 
company,  I  served  on  board  of  the  exploring  brig, 
*^ Advance"  in  the  humble  situation  of  a  sailor  "before 
the  mast.'*  Or,  to  speak  more  correctly,  I  shipped 
with  the  understanding  that  I  should  be  required  to 
perform  the  duties  which  properly  belong  to  that  ob- 
scure station.  Thus  far  the  agreement  was  punctually 
fulfilled  by  the  contracting  parties  on  both  sides ;  for 
I  received  the  regular  wages  of  a  man  before  the  mast, 
and  nothing  more ;  and  I  executed  all  the  tasks  which 
a  seaman  in  my  situation  could  be  expected  to  perform, 
to  say  nothing  of  many  other  tasks  and  services  which 
were  purely  gratuitous  on  my  part.  .j,^^ 

In  order  to  become  an  arctic  sailor,  with  the  pay  of 
eighteen  dollars  per  month,  I  quitted  a  far  more  agree- 
able employment,  which  afforded  me  more  than  three 
times  the  amount  of  compensation  just  mentioned. 
This,  of  course,  will  be  considered  as  a  fair  example  of 
that  Worldly  wisdom  for  which  sailors  are  not  vema,vk- 


V<i 


QBINNELL  EXPLOBINO  EXPEDITION. 


,5't^ 


able;  but  it  would  be  doing  some  injustice  to  Jack's,  „ 
general  reputation  to  make  my  individual  imprudencj^ 
a  mere  illustration  of  a  professional  trait,  seeing  tl^at 
I  was  not  a  regularly  trained  seaman,  but  adopted  thq 
mariner's  vocation  only  as  the  means  of  gratifying  my 
unconquerable  love  of  adventure.  When  I  determined 
on  making  a  voyage  to  the  polar  regions,  I  had  nq,, 
thought  of  acquiring  glori/,  no  notion  of  writing  a  book 
of  travels  after  my  return,  no  expectation  of  seeing  vi^JL 
name  in  print;  and  could  I  have  entertained,  such  fan- 
cies, thei/  would  not  have  been  a  sufficient  inducement 
for  me  to  submit  to  all  the  risks  and  sacrifices  which 
this  voyage  would  require.  To  come  to  the  point  at 
once,  I  was  led,  by  a  romantic  taste  for  whatever  is 
strange  and  marvelous,  to  visit  a  region  which  seemed 
to  be  enshrouded  in  mystery,  and  which  was  supposed 
to  contain  many  scenes  and  objects  that  have  no  coun- 
terparts in  any  other  quarter  of  the  world.  In  addi- 
tion to  this  motive,  a  feeling  of  national  pride  and  pa- 
triotic enthusiasm  prompted  me  to  assist  in  an  enter- 
prise which,  as  I  believed,  would  add  new  lustre  to  the. 
glory  of  my.oOTHliyi 

I  expected  to  meet  with  many  dangers  and  hard- 
ships in  my  arctic  travels,  but  these  anticipations  gave 
me  little  uneasiness ;  for  I  placed  much  reliance  on  my 
personal  strength  and  prowess,  and  on  my  powers  of  ^ 
endurance.  Nature  had  given  me  a  tall  and  muscular^  ^ 
frame,  and  habit  had  inured  me  to  the  extremes  of  heat 
and  cold.  I  felt  an  assurance,  therefore,  that  I  should 
be  able  to  perform  ail  the  labors,  and  to  endure  all  th^. 


'JxfS*^ 


82 


00DFBEY8  NARBATTVE  OF  THl 


s; 


%>. 


I 


hardsbips,  which  my  datj  as  an  arotio  sailor  would  im* 
pose  on  me. 

It  is  needless  to  deny  that  there  was  somewhat  of 
youthful  audacity,  somewhat  of  a  restless  craving  after 
novelty  and  change,  mingled  with  the  better  impulses 
which  engaged  me  in  this  enterprise,  the  results  of 
which  have  been  calamitous  to  some  of  my  fellow-ad- 
venturers, and  particularly  so  to  our  commander  him- 
self. Possibly  some  of  u?  may  have  been  made  wiser 
and  better  men  by  the  lessons  of  adversity  which  we 
received  during  our  wanderings  in  the  realms  of  per- 
petual ice ;  but  (moral  and  mental  improvement  out  of 
the  question]  I  do  not  know  that  any  of  us  received 
much  individual  benefit  from  the  voyage.  Several  of 
my  comrades  lost  their  lives,  in  consequence  of  their 
unparalleled  suflferings  in  the  polar  climes.  Dr.  Hayes 
lost  his  toes,  which  were  frozen  and  afterward  ampu- 
tated; and  two  or  three  others  of  our  company  met 
with  similar  misfortunes.  But  my  loss  appears  to  be  the 
most  afflictive  of  all ;  for  I  find,  with  equal  sorrow  and 
surprise,  that  I  have  lost  some  reputation  by  my  con- 
nection with  this  enterprise.  On  this  painful  topic,  I 
shall  have  more  to  say  hereafter. 

Dr.  Kane  himself  was  singularly  unfortunate;  al- 
though, in  some  respects,  he  appeared  to  be  most 
highly  favored.  It  is  stated  that  some  booksellers  have 
reaped  immense  profits  from  the  sale  of  his  narrative ; 
and  they  are  probably  the  only  persons,to  whom  this 
arctic  voyage  has  been  profitable,  so  far  as  money 
matters  are  concerned.    Dr.  Kane,  as  I  understand, 


^. 


'■^■■.■<:^'\ip-<fyr'^Tfr^*-T!  -' 


GRINNELL  EXPLORING  EXPEDITION. 


FK 


r  would  im- 


was  but  indifferently  remunerated,  in  any  way,  (except- 
ing the  complimentary  notices  of  the  newspaper  press), 
for  the  eminent  services  he  undoubtedly  rendered  to 
the  public.  His  untimely  death  gave  his  countrymen 
an  opportunity  to  express  their  gratitude  by  funereal 
demonstrations ;  and  I  should  speak  of  his  obsequies 
with  unalloyed  gratification,  were  it  not  commonly  re- 
ported and  believed  that  even  these  *' empty  honors 
to  the  dead,"  were  contrived  by  speculating  ingenuity 
to  answer  the  purpose  of  an  advertisement,  and  to  pro- 
mote the  sale  of  a  book!  *^%  -      K'  .^ 

I  have  hinted,  somewhere  above,  that  when  I  com- 
menced my  voyage  to  the  frozen  ocean,  I  had  no  in- 
tention of  embarking  afterward  on  the  still  more  cheer- 
less sea  of  authorship.  Such  a  project  as  writing  a 
book  never  presented  itself  to  my  mind  until  I  discov- 
ered that  my  conduct  as  a  seamSi,  and  my  moral  cha- 
racter itself,  had  been,  in  some  measure,  assailed  by 
publications  already  made.  I  hope  that  the  public  is 
disposed  to  believe  that  the  reputation  of  a  "  common 
sailor"  may  be  of  some  value — to  himself,  at  least— -es- 
pecially if  it  is  his  sole  inheritance  and  the  sum  total 
of  his  earthly  possessions.  I  complain  not  of  the  nega- 
tive injustice  which  may  have  been  done  me  by  with- 
holding the  credit  to  which  I  consider  mj  services 
fairly  entitled,  but  I  consider  myself  bound  to  repel 
any  statements  which  may  be  construed  as  affecting 
my  character  as  a  man  and  a  seaman.  f>.  t     '  ■ 

Nevertheless,  I  do  not  flatter  myself  that  the  vin- 
dication of  an  obscure  individual  like  myself  would  ob- 


m 


X;i'&',-Sf'->      ■      ,i 


^^■K^  ■•■:■: 


1  ;  .  ■  / 


24 


qodfrey's  narrative  of  the 


I 


;  :  - 


ta'ti  the  ear  of  the  public,  if  unaccompanied  by  matters 
of  greater  importance  and  more  general  interest.  I 
have,  therefore,  prepared  a  narrative  of  the  events  of 
the  Grinnell  Exploring  Expedition,  "which  I  can  consci- 
entiously recommend  to  the  public  as  a  faithful  and 
true  account  of  that  enterprise ;  and,  in  some  respects, 
the  most  complete  account  that  has  ever  been  pub- 
lished. No  one  can  deny  that  the  several  narratives 
of  this  expedition  which  have  already  appeared,  arc 
somewhat  contradictory  and  irreconcilable.  I  have  no 
doubt,  or  I  wish  to  believe,  that  the  authors  of  these 
various  narratives  intended  to  relate  facts  as  they  oc- 
cured ;  but,  in  some  instances,  their  memories  appear 
to  have  'failed  them,  or  they  were  not  correctly  in- 
formed  in  relation  to  matters  which  did  not  come  under 
their  own  personal  <^servation.  During  the  whole  pro* 
cess  of  exploration  by  Dr.  Kane's  party,  I  was  engaged, 
without  intermission,  in  the  most  active  duties.  I  was, 
therefore,  an  eye-witness  of  almost  every  important 
event  connected  with  these  explorations.  I  have  no 
motive  for  misrepresentation ;  and  I  believe  that  my 
memory  is  su£Sciently  retentive  to  enable  me  to  rdate 
every  notable  adventure  of  our  party  precisely  as  it 
took  place.  At  all  events,  I  shall  be  careful  to  do  no 
injustice  to  any  man,  living  or  dead,  in  the  course  of 
my  recital.  ■     '    ;     > 


i  ■' 

<%■ 


'  : 


k.  »■■  i. 


:"  *=^g  r',  '■ 


%■  S'" 


•  • 


I  bj  maiters 
interest.  I 
e  events  of 
[  can  consci- 
faithful  and 
me  respects, 
•  been  pub- 
1  narratives 
)peared,  arc 

I  have  no 
)rs  of  these 
1  as  they  oc- 
>ries  appear 
iorrectly  in- 
come under 
e  whole  pro. 
as  engiaged, 
cs.    I  was, 

important 

I  have  no 
^e  that  my 
ae  to  rdate 
cisely  as  it 
ul  to  do  no 

course  of 


WM.  C.  GODFREY. 


^■>'^^. 


■:-.f 


t' 


;# 


-^  ■^.  ---.^.  s-  if.-'r  '^  "^;  - 


<miNNELL  EXPLOBINO  EXPEDITION. 


27 


'^?: 


•  I 


CHAPTER    II. 

* 

OBJECT  OP  THE  EXPEDITION — WHERE  THE  EXPLORATION 
WAS  TO  BE  CARRIED  ON— GREENLAND — A  FRIGHTFUL 
COUNTRY — LAND  TRAVELING  IN  THE  POLAR  REGIONS 
— DOG  SLEDGES — NAVIGATION  OP  THE  ICY  SEAS — DAN- 
GEROUS SAILING — THE  AUTHOR'S  VIEWS  RESPECTING 
THE  FATE  OP  SIR  JOHN  FRANKLIN  AND  HIS  PARTY- 
TRIBUTE  TO  LADY  FRANKLIN — THE  ABSURDITIES  OP 
ARCTIC  EXPLORATION — QUEER  FANCY  OF  A  GREAT  EX- 
PLORER— ^THE  author's  PLEBEIAN   NOTIONS. 

Before  I  begin  my  narrative  of  the  Grinnell  Explor- 
ing Expedition,  I  wish  to  give  the  reader  a  clear  under 
standing  of  its  objects.  Ostensibly,  the  principal  de 
sign  was  to  search  after  the  missing  navigator,  Sir 
John  Franklin,  concerning  whose  "  mysterious  fate"  so 
much  has  been  said  and  written,  and  in  whose  behalf  an 
abundance  of  public  sympathy  and  many  thousands  of 
dollars  have  been  expended  to  little  or  no  purpose.  It 
was  conjectured  that  Franklin  and  his  companions,  or 
their  mortal  remains,  might  be  found  in  some  part  of 
Greenland,  or  in  the  adjacent  seas;  and  accordingly 
those  localities  were  to  be  the  scenes  of  our  exploring 
operations.     Greenland  is  an  extensive  region,  which, 


f  ii**    ^  nf>    *v\/\rifr    wvo  *•+ 


ior  the  most  part,  is  a  mass  of  rocks,  interspersed  with 


-y- 


28 


GODFREY'S  NABBATIVE  OV  THX 


m 


glaciers  or  rivers  of  ice,  which  have  a  slow  progressive 
motion  toward  the  sea.  The  most  southern  point  of 
Greenland  is  Cape  Farewell,  in  lat.  59°  49',  Ion.  43° 
54'.  Concerning  the  northern  and  eastern  coasts,  very 
little  is  known.  Greenland  was  formerly  supposed  to 
be  a  peninsula  attached  to  an  arctic  continent ;  but 
recent  discoveries  make  it  appear  that  this  region  is  a 
group  of  two  or  three  large  isknds,  surrounded  by 
several  smaller  ones.  The  neighboring  seas,  bays,  and 
sounds  are,  at  all  seasons,  more  or  less  encumbered 
with  ice ;  and,  at  some  particular  times  in  the  year, 
are  totally  unnavigable.  The  climate  of  Greenland  is 
intensely  cold,  especially  in  the  more  northern  lati- 
tudes, ahd  during  the  arctic  night,  which  lasts  for  seve- 
ral months.  Greenland  belongs  to  the  Danish  govern- 
ment, which  has  several  trading  stations  on  different 
parts  of  the  coast.  There  are  many  Exquimaux  Settle- 
ments scattered  over  the  country.  Some  of  the  Es- 
quimaux are  partly  civilized,  having  become  so  by  con- 
stant intercourse  with  the  Danish  settlers,  who  supply 
them  with  European  commodities  in  exchange  for  skins, 

blubber,  &C.      :.,,ur^,'...v^  ,w--/,,^,^  W.;.._,:,s.  ..,.,.j-,;;^/,,;^.V  >- 

The  northern  parts  of  Greenland  are  not  inhabitable 
even  by  the  Esquimaux  themselves,  who  are  fitted  by 
nature  and  habit  to  endure  more  cold  than  any  other 
human  beings  on  the  face  of  the  earth.  The  surface 
of  the  country  is  too  rough  to  afford  any  facilities  for 
traveling;  and  the  neighboring  waters  when  frozen 
over,  as  they  generally  are,  present  similar  obstacles, 
as  the  ice  is  full  of  boulders,  hummocks,  bercs.  and 


.'V 


^M>S&^ 


ORINNELL  EXPLORING   EXPEDITIOiV. 


29 


Other  obstructions.  The  usual  mode  of  traveling  on 
land  and  on  the  ice  is  in  sledges  drawn  by  dogs.  No 
other  vehicle  and  no  other  draught  animals  could  be 
U6ed,  probably,  in  these  localities ;  and  the  dog-sledge 
conveyance  itself  is  liable  to  many  inconveniences. 
The  Esquimaux  dog,  used  for  this  purpose,  is  neither 
large  nor  poAverful.  A  team  of  six  or  eight  dogs  can 
transport  a  moderate  load  over  the  snow  or  ice,  at  the 
rate  of  from  fifty  to  sixty  miles  per  day,  provided  the 
route  is  favorable ;  but  when  the  track  is  very  rough, 
as  it  often  is,  the  strength  of  the  dogs  is  wholly  unequal 
to  the  task  of  drawing  the  sledge.  In  these  circum- 
stances, the  driver  must  dismount  and  assist  his  team 
by  pushing  behind  and  lifting  the  sledge  over  the  ine- 
qualities of  the  road.  *        / 

The  navigation  of  the  polar  seas  and  sounds  is  at 
tended  by  still  greater  difficulties,  and  is  never  free  from 
danger.  When  there  is  a  track  open  for  the  passage 
of  the  ship,  it  is  generally  a  sort  of  canal  (technically 
called  a  "  lead")  with  an  icy  embankment  on  each  side. 
One  of  these  embankments,  called  the  "land  ice,"  is 
usually  stationary,  being  part  of  a  large  mass  of  ice 
many  miles  in  extent,  and  connected  with  the  shore. 
The  other  side  of  the  canal,  or  "  lead,"  is  generally  a 
movable  body  of  ice,  called  a  "floe,"  which  is  often 
driven  by  the  wind  or  tide  with  tremendous  force 
against  the  lanc^  ice,  closing  up  the  canal  or  lane  of 
open  water,  and  sometimes  crushing  an  unfortunate 
ship  which  may  happen  to  be  sailing  therein.  The  ice 
sides  of  the  canal,  or  "  lead,"  is  often  twenty 


V  -i-l- 

UU    UOlll 


3* 


\ 


80 


oodfrey'8  narrative  of  tub 


or  thirt}'  feet  in  height,  above  the  level  of  the  water ; 
and  the  ''floe,"  or  movable  body  of  ice,  is  commonly 
of  immense  magnitude,  so  that  its  momentum,  when  it 
is  set  in  motion  by  the  tide  or  wind,  is  irresistible. 
The  stoutest  ship  must  inevitably  be  crushed,  if  caught 
between  the  icy  masses.  Ships  intended  for  arctic 
navigation  are  built  in  a  particular  style,  the  hull 
being  wedge-shaped,  so  that  when  pressed  on  each 
side  by  approaching  masses  of  ice,  the  vessel  is  forced 
upward,  and  thrown  on  her  beam  ends  on  one  of  the 
icy  platforms.  This  is  the  only  contrivance  which 
could  save  a  vessel  from  being  broken  to  pieces,  in 
such 'iircumstances.  «  - 

I  need  not  remind  my  readers  that  the  navigation 
of  a  sea  which  is  agitated  by  powerful  winds,  is  always 
dangerous ;  but  sailing  on  an  ice-encumbered  sea,  such 
as  I  have  described,  is  perilous  in  the  highest  decree. 
In  this  case,  you  are  surrounded  by  breakers  of  the 
most  formidable  character— breakers  of  ice  which  are 
more  to  be  dreaded  than  the  *'  insidious  rock,"  because 
the  latter  lies  still,  and  may  be  avoided  by  the  skillful 
management  of  the  vessel ;  but  the  uncertain  motions 
of  the  masses  of  ice  in  the  polar  seas,  often  make  a 
collision  with  them  unavoidable.  Very  often,  the  arc- 
tic navigator  is  menaced  with  destruction  on  all  sides ; 
the  multiplicity  of  dangers  distracts  his  attention,  and 
makes  him  powerless  and  inactive  at  the  very  moment 
when  all  his  energies  should  be  aroused. 

In  short,  the  dangers  of  arctic  navigation  are  so 
great  and  so  complicated,  that  we  should  not  wonder 


I 
OBTIfNELL  IXFLOmNO  XXFEDITIOIf. 


81 


? 


at  any  loss  of  life  or  any  destruction  of  ships  engaged 
in  that  service ;  on  the  contrary,  every  escape  of  the 
arctic  voyager  appears  to  be  almost  miraculous.  I  fear 
there  was  a  good  deal  of  insincerity  exhibited  by  those 
experienced  old  seamen,  who  affected  to  consider  that 
it  was  almost  impossible  that  Sir  John  Franklin  and 
his  company  should  have  perished  while  making  their 
polar  explorations.  My  own  limited  experience  con- 
vinces me  that  nothing  could  be  more  probable  than 
the  total  destruction  of  Franklin's  party  before  the 
expiration  of  their  third  year  in  that  most  inhospitable 
climate.  If,  as  Dr.  Kane  seems  to  have  supposed, 
some  of  their  party  might  still  have  been  living  in  the 
northern  regions  of  Greenland,  at  the  beginning  of  the 
year  1853,  they  must  have  acquired  an  aptitude  for 
living  in  ice  quite  as  wonderful  as  the  salamander's 
supposed  ability  to  live  in  fire.  Granting  that  Franl*- 
lin  and  his  company  might  have  obtained  a  sufficient 
supply  of  provisions  to  maintain  themselves  for  seven 
or  eight  years  in  such  a  country  as  northern  Green- 
land, how  would  they  have  supplied  themselves  with 
fuel  and  other  appliances  to  keep  themselves  from 
freezing  in  a  climate  where  the  temperature,  for  the 
greatest  part  of  the  time,  is  from  40°  to  55°  btlow  zero  ? 
True,  they  might  have  used  their  ships  and  boats  for 
firewood,  but  even  that  supply  would  not  have  la;dted 
the  whole  time.  We  burned  about  half  of  the  Adv'tnce 
and  her  combustible  equipments  in  a  single  winter, 
and  with  all  that  waste  of  valuable  burning  material, 
our  men  suffered  excessively  from  the  cold. 


■   ... 


82 


QODFBEY's  NABRAliVE  OF  TUB 


I  do  not  believe  that  there  was  a  single  survivor  of 
Franklin's  party  in  1853 ;  and  I  do  not  consider  that  it  is 
presumptuous  for  me  to  say  so,  in  opposition  to  the  ex- 
pressed opinions  of  some  distinguished  navigators ;  be- 
cause I  am  satisfied  that  these  *^  old  salts"  were  prompted 
to  express  such  opinions  by  the  warmth  of  their  feelings, 
and  not  by  the  sober  dictates  of  their  judgment.  A 
very  amiable  sympathy  for  Lady  Franklin,  (that  rare 
and  admirable  Penelope  of  modern  times,)  influenced 
several  experienced  naval  officers,  familiar  with  the 
perils  of  arctic  travel,  to  express  hopes  which  they 
could  not  have  felt,  in  order  to  administer  consolation 
to  that  bereaved  lady  who  is  so  unwilling  to  believe  in 
her  own  widowhood.  ,    -        ,,  t     _,  :j  , ,  ^  v.,, 

A  "  common  sailor,"  conscious  of  his  privilege  as  an 
American  freeman,  takes  the  liberty  to  declare  his 
solemn  conviction  that  any  polar  expedition  in  search 
of  Sir  John  Franklin,  after  the  year  1846,  must  be 
considered  as  a  futile  enterprise,  in  which  human  life 
was  exposed  to  unnecessary  hazard.  No  man  can  re- 
gret the  fate  of  Sir  John  Franklin  more  than  I  do — no 
man  can  feel  a  greater  admiration  for  the  conjugal  de- 
votion of  his  lady ;  but  I  cannot  approve  of  the  sacrifice 
of  many  lives  in  the  prosecution  of  needless  searches 
which  can  afi"ord  no  relief  to  the  lost  commander,  and 
no  satisfaction  to  his  widow,  whose  agonizing  suspense 
is  merely  protracted  by  these  unprofitable  inquiries. 

I  strongly  suspect  that  the  most  distinguished  arctic 
navigators  have  generally  been  men  of  ardent  tempera- 
ment, whose  generous  enthusiasm  more  than  counter- 


'•f^'-^T- 


QBINNILL  IXPLUIUNO   EXPEDITION. 


8S 


balanced  their  rational  and  reflective  powers.  It  is 
impossible,  in  any  other  way,  to  account  for  the  reck- 
less hardihood  with  which  these  undertakings  have  been 
repeated,  in  pursuit  of  objects  which  were  too  evidently 
unattainable,  and  which,  if  accomplished,  might  not 
have  been  of  sufficient  value  and  importance  to  deserve 
the  efforts  which  have  been  made  for  their  attainment. 
Of  course,  in  this  connection,  I  do  not  speak  of  the 
search  after  Gapt.  Franklin,  for  that  was  an  object  on 
which  too  much  time,  labor,  and  money  could  not  bo 
expended,  while  there  was  any  hope  of  success.  But 
the  arctic  seas  have  been  explored  for  several  other 
objects,  not  one  of  which,  if  attained,  could  have  been 
of  much  practical  utility  to  mankind,  on  account  of  the 
difficulties  which  beset  the  navigator  of  those  seas 
at  every  stage  of  his  progress.  The  discovery  of  a 
shorter  route  to  the  East  Indies,  via  the  Arctic  seas, 
is  the  most  rational  object  that  ever  engaged  the  atten- 
tion of  polar  navigators ;  but  what  would  avail  a  shorter 
route,  if  it  were  found  to  be  impracticable,  or  if  tra- 
velers by  the  new  route  were  liable  to  be  frozen  up  for 
two  or  three  years  while  on  their  passage  ? 

One  of  the  arctic  explorers  (Capt.  Parry)  considers 
that  the  successful  navigator  of  the  icy  ocean  would 
be  well  remunerated  for  all  his  toils  and  dangers,  by 
having  it  in  his  power  to  boast  that  he  had  placed  his 
foot  on  the  pivot  of  the  earth's  axis  !  I  have  seen  the 
time  (while  journeying  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  polo) 
when  it  would  have  pleased  me  much  better  to  place 
my  foot  on  a  warm  stove-plate,  or  in  a  pile  of  hot 


i. 


^iili^l 


r- 


84 


GODFREYS  ^ARRATi  ;r*.  OF  THE 


ashes,  than  to  have  accomplished  that  object,  which 
appears  to  have  been  the  apex  of  Captain  Parry's  am- 
bition. But  I  am  a  plebeian — a  mere  Jack-tar — and 
of  course  cannot  be  expected  to  appreciate  the  noble 
aspirations  of  an  accomplished  gentleman  and  a  naval 
officer  of  high  rank,  like  Captain  Parry. 


f: 


■«r-' 


■:  .V'-7'^7"»T^.'' 


GRINNELL  EXPLORINa  EXPEDITION. 


95 


CHAPTER    III.         ;     ^      f 

the  voyage  begun — public  demonstrations — the 
author's  emotions— he  alludes  to  an  affair 
of  the  heart — catalogue  of  the  officers  and 
crew — the  exploning  brig  advance  proceeds 
to  st.  john's,  newfoundland — the  officers  and 
crew  lionized — the  voyage  continued — arrival 
at  fiskernaes — hospitable  reception— the  es- 
quimaux— their  comical  appearance — their  pe- 
culiarities of  character— hans  christian,  the 

commander's   PET. 

On  the  memorable  30th  day  of  May,  1853,  the  ex- 
ploring brig  Advance,  fitted  out  at  the  expense  of  Mr. 
Henry  Grinnell,  and  under  the  command  of  Dr.  E.  K. 
Kane,  of  the  United  States  Navy,  started  on  her  last 
voyage  from  New  York.  The  wharves  were  crowded 
with  spectators  to  witness  her  departure;  the  air  re- 
sounded with  huzzas  and  the  strains  of  martial  music — 
the  valedictory  greetings  of  our  fellow-countrymen, 
who  thus  expressed  their  enthusiastic  approbation  of 
our  enterprise.  It  was  an  exhilarating  moment  for 
all  on  board;  every  man  of  our  company,  from  tho 
commander  down  to  Mons.  Schubert,  the  French  cook, 
must  have  experienced  a  feeling  of  expansion  for  the 


.''(A&iiWvl....     !^..,jsMAiL^i!^-li-ti^'.' . 


V' 


\ 


16 


GODFREY'S  NARRATIVE  OP  THE 


time  being,  as  though  we  had  all  been  suddenly  en- 
larged to  heroic  dimensions.  I,  who  never  suspected 
before  that  I  possessed  any  element  of  greatness,  was 
agreeably  surprised  to  find  myself  one  of  the  "  observed 
of  all  observers ;"  an.^  while  the  tarry  ropes  glided  be- 
tween my  fingers,  my  eyes  were  almost  ready  to  stream 
with  tears  of  joy  and  gratitude.  In  the  excitement 
of  that  moment,  my  thoughts  wandered  to  one  to  whom, 
with  youthful  indiscretion,  I  had  dedicated  my  early 
aifections,  and  whose  condition  in  life,  being  far  supe- 
rior to  my  own,  made  this  aberration  of  my  youthful 
fancy  doubly  indiscreet.  But  on  this  occasion,  the 
public  attention  which  had  been  attracted  to  our  party, 
so  excited  my  organ  of  self-esteem,  that  my  erring 
Attachment  no  longer  seemed,  presumptuous;  and  I 
began  to  suspect,  for  the  first  time,  that  the  mandate 
which  forbade  my  approach  to  the  object  of  my  aliec- 
tion  was  tyrannically  severe.         ■  *  ^^  ^  "  '  ' 

My  comrades,  who  were  probably  less  sentimental 
than  myself,  appeared  to  enjoy,  with  unmingled  delight, 
the  vociferous  plaudits  they  received  from  the  crowds 
on  the  wharves.  Several  of  them  had  friends  and  re- 
latives among  the  assemblage,  to  whom  they  made  their 
adieus  with  sailor-like  levity.  I  must  acknowledge 
that  I  saw  none  of  those  afiecting  leave-takings  which 
my  learned  comrade,  Professor  Von  Sonntag,  refers 
to  as  being  among  the  incidents  of  our  departure.  Se< 
veral  steamboats,  thronged  with  passengers,  and  ;)ro- 
vided  with  bands  of  music,  accompanied  us  several  miles 
oh  our  voyage.     Our  patriotic  feelings  were  stimulated 


i'lliKlmLLJl .  .1  'i?i:i^^i^^?^Wi    ll' 


„  Ji'  nit .  ^11 1  V-l.Li^iU^  ,.-li',;i 


,':^<^^iiai\,'t'^,-jA-JJlK-: 


..F. 


I 


# 


■■^3^-  ; 


GRINNELL  EXPLORING  EXPEDITION. 


by  the  performance  of  national  airs,  and  the  display 
of  the  "stars  and  stripes"  from  every  point  where  a 
flag-staff  could  be  planted.  Thus  the  commencement 
of  our  voyage  was  all  romance  and  unalloyed  pleasure, 
like  the  commencement  of  the  voyage  matrimonial; 
and,  like  many  who  embark  in  the  last-mentioned  en- 
terprise, we  enjoyed  our  honey-moon,  unmindful  of 
the  icebergs  to  which  our  course  was  directed. 

The  Advance^  in  which  we  were  now  sailing,  was 
not  a  "  ship"  (as  one  of  my  traveling  companions  is 
pleased  to  call  it,  repeatedly),  but  an  hermaphrodite 
brig ;  that  is  to  say,  a  combination  of  brig  and  schooner. 
The  hull  was  altered  and  adapted  to  the  purposes  re- 
quired ;  the  bow  or  fore-part  of  the  vessel  being  so  filled 
up  with  timber  as  to  be  almost  solid.  This  contrivance 
was  intended  to  fit  the  vessel  for  butting  against  icy 
impediments,  when  they  were  of  such  a  nature  as  would 
admit  of  their  being  broken  or  displaced  by  collision 
with  the  head  of  the  brig.  The  shape  of  the  Advance 
was  altered  to  suit  the  exigencies  of  arctic  navigation ; 
the  sides  of  the  vessel  were  so  fashioned,  that  when 
caught  between  two  masses  of  ice,  she  would  be  forced 
upward  instead  of  being  crushed.         *    .       ;^v    *>.!«*/. 

The  brig,  as  I  shall  show  hereafter,  was  not  supplied 
with  the  necessary  stores  and  equipments ;  and  hence 
the  sufi^erings  of  the  crew  in  the  polar  regions  were 
much  aggravated.  I  should  think  that  all  who  were 
concerned  in  fitting  her  out  ought  to  have  known  that 
we  were  not  going  on  a  holiday  excursion.  My  object 
in  alluding  to  this  deficiency  of  equipments,  is  not  to 


1% 


j^^-^'-''^'^' 


40 


GODFREY'S  NARRATIVE  OF  THE 


cast  censure  on  any  person,  but  to  admonish  others, 
who  may  contemplate  similar  undertakings,  to  make 
suitable  provision  for  the  health  and  comfort  of  the 
seamen.  And  I  would  earnestly  advise  my  brother 
sailors  to  be  well  assured  that  all  the  necessary  prepa- 
rations for  the  voyage  have  been  made,  before  they 
enter  their  names  on  the  books  of  any  vessel  which 
may  be  about  to  start  on  a  polar  expedition.  \ 

The  officers  and  crew  of  the  Advance  consisted  of 
eighteen  persons,  namely : — 


■^^H' 


..1. 


.'t'-r'li 


i,' A-  ,;,^«.''.^-f 


Dr.  Elisha  Kent  Kane,  Commander.    .   ,      -  . 
Henry  Brooks,  First  Officer.         ^U  :    -^.  ;     >.•; 
Isaac  J.  Hayes,  M.  D.,  Surgeon. 
August  Sonntag,  Astronomer  and  Draughtsman. 
0.  Ohlsen,  Carpenter.  ^       .,•.      .^ 


George  Riley, 
James  McGarry, 
Henry  Goodfellow, 
John  W.  Wilson, 
Amos  Bonsall, 


Seamen. 

.'    George  Stephenson, 
George  Whipple, 
John  Blake, 
,  Jefferson  Baker, 
William  C.  Godfrey. 


Thomas  Hickey,  Cabin  Boy. 

Peter  Schubert,  French  Cook  ,f  ;*&  •  :'U-k 

William  Morton,  Steward.   .^,  4^;,%^,«» 


"i-.'ifeA- 


On  the  2nd  of  June,  eighteen  days  after  we  left  New 
York,  we  arrived  at  St.  John's,  Newfoundland,  where 
Dr=  Kane  made  some  necessary  additions  to  his  supplies 


•  ■-;  --■  (■— fTTpr— ;  •"^rei'v  'yT?"  ti',  igp-; 


-"'-r^t(,-..yj-.y-T.',"^F-';"  ■■    -T''-"'TlrT         J'  r","' ■"•"T  "'^  WT":'*'"~'-,vj.-' -^-^  -        -  ^:' 


aWNNELL   EXPLORING   EXI  EDITION 


41 


we  left  New 


and  equipments.  "We  obtained  at  St.  John's  a  quantity 
of  beef  and  mutton,  which  we  prepared  for  preservation 
by  a  process,  well  known  to  mariners,  called  "marl- 
ing." In  this  process,  the  bones  are  removed,  and 
the  meat,  after  being  salted,  is  hung  upon  the  rigging 
to  dry.  At  St.  John's  we  also  procured  some  addi- 
tional tinware  and  cooking  utensils,  and  several  dogs 
of  the  celebrated  Newfoundland  breed,  v  hich  we  intended 
to  use  as  draught  animals  when  we  should  arrive  in 
those  regions  where  the  services  of  these  quadrupeds 
are  indispensable.  Our  passage  from  New  York  to  St. 
John's  was  not  very  agreeable, — the  weather  being,  foi 
the  greater  part  of  the  time,  quite  boisterous.  Oui 
deck  cargo  was  much  disarranged  by  the  pitching  of 
the  vessel  and  some  of  the  "  green-horns,"  myself  in- 
clusive, were  considerably  sea-sick.  However,  in  this 
affliction  I  had  very  respectable  company,  for  Dr. 
Hayes,  whose  seafaring  experience  was  not  much  more 
extensive  than  my  own,  suffered  considerably  from  gas- 
tric discomposure.  By  the  way,  it  may  as  well  be  men- 
tioned here,  that  Dr.  Hayes,  who  did  duty  as  surgeon 
on  board  of  the  Advance^  was  not  a  regular  sea-bred 
"  saw-bones," — but  had  previously  been  doing  duty  on 
dry  land,  in  the  capacity  of  a  country  physician,  and 
resided  in  some  rural  village  near  Philadelphia.  Ho  is 
a  gentleman  whom  I  very  highly  esteem ;  but  I  must 
say,  nevertheless,  that,  like  almost  every  other  person 
who  has  undertaken  to  give  an  account  of  the  Grinnell 
Expedition,  he  has  made  some  statements  which  are 

not  quite  accurate. 

4* 


:5afe> 


•      '..,:/?;' i^- 


42 


Godfrey's  narbative  of  tdi 


1^ 


The  English  authorities  at  St.  John's  gave  us  a 
hearty  welcome.  Governor  Hamilton  especially  ren- 
dered us  every  service  that  vras  ir  his  power;  and, 
among  other  acts  of  kindness,  he  presented  us  with  a 
fine  team  of  Newfoundland  dogs,  which  afterward  proved 
very  useful  to  us  in  our  sledge  journeys  over  the  ice. 
We  remained  at  St.  John's  two  days,  during  which  we 
were  considerably  lionized  by  the  inhabitants, — the 
ladies  in  particular,  who  seemed  to  regard  us  as  a 
**  noble  army  of  martyrs,"  about  to  offer  ourselves  as 
a  willing  sacrifice  on  the  altars  of  science  and  humanity. 

From  St.  John's  we  steered,  as  nearly  in  a  straight 
line  as  possible,  for  the  coast  of  Greenland,  direct- 
ing our  course,  in  the  first  place,  toward  a  Danish 
settlement,  called  Fiskernaes, — situated  near  the  en- 
trance of  Davis'  Strait.  We  came  within  a  few  miles 
of  this  place  on  the  1st  day  of  July ;  but,  as  the 
atmosphere  was  very  foggy,  we  had  some  difficulty  in 
finding  the  settlement.  Another  seaman  and  myself 
were  sent  ashore  in  a  boat  to  obtain  a  pilot.  We 
landed  on  the  coast,  after  eome  hard  rowing, — and  on 
approaching  a  hut  which  we  saw  at  some  distance 
from  the  water, — we  met  a  queer  specimen  of  human 
nature, — a  dumpy,  duck-legged  fellow,  who  proved  to 
be  a  "cross"  between  Dane  and  Esquimaux.  After 
both  parties  had  stared  at  each  other  sufficiently,  wc 
began  to  communicate  by  signs, — and  thus  we  contrived, 
after  a  gk  at  deal  of  trouble,  to  make  the  Green- 
lander  understand  what  we  wanted.  The  reward  of 
an  invalid  jack-knife  induced  him  to  enter  our  boat  and 


■  '♦ 


GRINNELL  EXPLORING  EXMEDITION. 


43 


r  /Mi»»   nnof   ond 


pilot  us  to  Fiskernaes,  which  we  reached  after 
a  pretty  hard  row  of  four  hours  duration.  'I  ..e  "  Gov- 
ernor," as  the  resident  agent  of  the  Danish  government 
is  called,  gave  my  companion  and  myself  a  hearty  re- 
ception, and  treated  us  to  a  lunch,  consisting  of  a  lump 
of  rye  bread  and  a  glnss  of  grog  for  each  of  us.  After 
this  refreshment,  we  engaged  a  pilot,  recommended  to 
us  by  the  Governor,  and  embarked  with  him  in  our 
boat.  The  brig  was  standing  off  and  on,  awaiting  our 
return, — but  we  were  obliged  to  row  eight  miles  before 
we  reached  her.  With  our  pilot's  assistance,  the  Ad' 
vance  soon  entered  the  harbor  of  Fiskernaes.  As  soon 
as  we  came  to  anchor,  the  Governor  sent  a  boat  with 
an  invitation  for  the  officers  to  come  on  shore,  and 
attend  a  fete  which  his  Excellency  gave  in  honor  of  our 
arrival.  The  invitation  was  accepted  by  Dr.  Kane, 
Dr.  Hayes,  Mr.  Brooks,  and  Mr.  Sonntag.  Bonsall  and 
I  were  selected  to  row  these  gentlemen  ashore.  The 
inhabitants  of  the  town,  Danish  and  Esquimaux, 
crowded  the  beach  to  see  us  land.  They  appeared  to 
be  very  much  amused  at  our  appearance,  and  laughed 
in  our  faces  without  any  restraint.  We  did  as  much 
for  them,  as  their  figures  and  dress  were  no  less  ridicu- 
llous  in  our  eyes  than  our  tout  ensemble  was  in  theirs. 
The  Esquimaux  in  general  are  about  as  comical  a  racer^ 
of  mortals  as  ever  I  had  the  good  fortune  to  meet 

ith.     Their  corporal  construction  itself  is  unlike  that 
of  mankind  in  general,  and  they  make  themselves  •  still 

lore  uncouth  by  their  grotesque  style  of  dressing.     I 
rofessor  Sonntag  contradicts  the  common  report 


•mi  ,t^^.i 


44 


qodprey's  narrative  op  thb 


R' 


that  these  people  are  dwarfish  in  stature,  and  avers  that 
they  are  very  little,  if  any,  below  the  average  height  of 
Europeans.     The  Professor  must  have  observed  them 
through  a  convex  lens,  or  some  other  magnifying  medium, 
— for  all  my  observations  tend  to  confirm  the  general 
'^       statement,  that  the  tallest  of  them  are  below  the  middle  1 
height  of  Englishmen  and  Americans.     Their  complex-  | 
ions  appeared  to  me  to  resemble  those  of  the  North 
American   Indians   in   general, — but  in  elegance   of   | 
figure,  in  .nobility  of  character,  in  bodily  activity  and 
courage,  they  are  very  far  inferior  to  the  aboriginal 
inhabitants  of  the  American  continent.     However,  the 
Esquimaux  have  some  admirable  traits  ;  they  are  very 
hospitable  to  strangers  ;  they  are  exemplary  in  all  their 
domestic  relations,  and  the  several  tribes  maintain  a 
peaceable  and  friendly  disposition  toward  each  other. 
They  have  none  of  that  vengeful  ferocity  which  is  im 
puted  to  savage  tribes  in   general — in  fact,  there  is 
nothing  sanguinary  or  warlike  in  their  character. 
t   The  Esquimaux  who  reside  near  the  Danish  settle- 
ments are  partly  civilized,  and  many  of  them  are  as  good 
>      Christians,  at  least,  as  their  Danish  neighbors.     One 
of  these  converted  Exquimaux,  a  youth  about  eighteen 
years  of  age,  named  Hans  Christian,  was  shipped  on 
5     board  of   the  Advance  at    Fiskernaes,  and  afterward 
became  very  useful  to  the  Expedition  and  a  special 
favorite  of  Dr.  Kane,  to  whom  he  is  indebted  for  aa 
much  celebrity  as  he  deserves. 


,n(l  avers  that 
•age  height  of 
bserved  them 
fying  medium, 
a  the  general 
low  the  middle 
?heir  complex- 
of  the  North 

elegance  of 
^  activity  and 
the  aboriginal 
However,  the 
they  are  very 
ary  in  all  their 
3e3  maintain  a 
,rd  each  other, 
y  "which  is  im 

fact,  there  is 
laracter. 

Danish  settle- 
em  are  as  good 
jighbors.  One 
about  eighteen 
as  shipped  on 

and  afterward 

and  a  special 
tidebted  for  as 


ESQUIMAUX   UUIDB. 


'JA- 


k    » 


'*■ 


'A 


/'A. 


^4 


1 

Kj; 

1 

"Vr 


i»(^»iifc(*> 


f/Jiw-i  t: 


ABINNELL   ISXPLOOINO  KXViDlTlQK. 


47 


1. ;..>•' r,'j   nAi   'ii.1  ♦iWttd 


^       ,    CHAPTER   IV.       .'    ,,L^.^ 


FISKERNAES — ^THB  AUTHOR  S  HARD  SERVICE — VISIT 
TO  A  MORAVIAN  MISSION  HOUSE — TWO  QUEER  OLD 
MISSIONARIES  —  SUCKERTOPPEN  —  ITS  MAGNIFICENT 
PEAKS — ARRIVAL  AT  PROVi-N — GRAND  FANCY  BALL — 
THE  AMERICAN  SAILORS  DANCE  FOR  THE  HONOR 
OF  THEIR  COUNTRY — THE  AUTHOR  INVITED  TO  OPEN 
A  DANCING  SCHOOL — HIS  QUALIFICATIONS — WB  PRO- 
CEED   TO    UPERNAVICK — THE     TOWN      AND     ITS    IN- 


HABITANTS— MR.  PETERSEN. 


^1  ^^f«mi4»iijfei. 


FiSKERNAES  is  the  most  southern  port  of  Greenland. 
It  scarcely  deserves  to  be  called  a  tow?'  or  village,  as 
the  only  building  of  any  importance  which  it  contains 
is  the  governmental  store-house,  or  lepot  for  Danish 
merchandise,  which  is  replenished,  once  a  year,  on  the 
arrival  of  a  ship  sent  from  Denmark  for  this  purpose. 
The  Governor  has  the  management  of  this  store-house, 
to  which  the  Esquimaux  resort  for  the  purpose  of  ex- 
changing their  furs  and  other  commodities  for  European 
goods.  Fiskernaes  is  situated,  if  I  remember  correctly, 
about  nine  miles  from  the  southern  extremity  of  Davis 
Strait.  Besides  the  trade  which  this  settlemgnt  carries 
on  with  the  Esquimaux  of  the  interior,  it  does  a  good 
deal  in  the  fishing  way ;  indeed  its  cod-fishing  affords  a 


.^i' 


ii 


GODFREY'S  NARRATIVE  OF  THS 


considerable  revenue  to  the  Danish  government.  The 
name  of  the  present  governor  is  Lassen ;  his  estima- 
ble qualities  and  his  pipe-smoking  propensities  have 
been  spoken  of  at  large  by  some  of  my  illustrious  pre- 
decessors,  especially  by  Mr.  Sonntag,  whose  German 
sympathies  were  naturally  enlisted  in  behalf  of  a  gen- 
tleman  who  could  smoke  tobacco  for  forty-eight  hours 
without  intermission.  In  justice  to  Mr.  Lassen,  I 
must  say,  that  he  deserves  to  be  commemorated  for 
more  gentlemanly  attributes  than  we  can  easily 
connect  with  the  character  of  an  incessant  tobacco- 
smoker.    ''"-'■■■  ■--^^*  +   '  "■  ,  "  ^■ 

As  it  was  my  good  or  ill  fortune  to  be  one  of  the 
most  stalwart  and  active  **  hands  '*  on  board  of  the 
Advance^  it  was  my  lot  to  perform  a  full  share  of  the 
most  laborious  duties ;  such,  for  instance,  as  rowing  the 
small  boat.  While  the  brig  lay  in  the  harbor  of  Fis- 
kernaes,  I  had  the  honor  to  row  Messrs.  Kane,  Hayes, 
and  Sonntag  to  a  neighboring  missionary  establishment 
at  Lichtenfels,  where  tie  Moravians  have  a  sort  of 
monastery,  if  it  is  no  offense  to  give  it  that  name. 
Our  officers  received  a  cordial  welcome  from  two 
brethren  of  the  Order,  the  only  survivors  of  some  six 
or  eight  of  their  fraternity,  who  established  themselves 
in  this  desolate  place  about  thirty  years  ago.  The 
missionary  house  is  an  antiquated  building,  in  the 
Dutch  style  of  architecture,  one  story  high,  and  "  hip- 
roofed,"  with  a  droll  little  steeple  and  belfry  on  the 
top.  On  glancing  around  on  the  hideous  landscape, 
where  nothing  could  be  seen  but  rocks  stuccoed  with 


OBINNELL  EXPLORING  EXPEDITION. 


49 


ice  and  plains  carpeted  with  eternal  snow,  I  felt  the 
conviction  that  men  who  could  dwell  contentedly  in 
such  a  place  for  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century  most 
be  either  sanctified  or  insane.  The  dress  of  the  two 
brethren  who  received  us,  like  the  architecture  of  their 
dwelling,  belonged  to  a  former  century.  While  I  looked 
at  them,  I  could  scarcely  persuade  myself  that  they 
were  not  two  of  the  Sever.  Sleepers,  who  had  just  waked 
up,  after  their  protracted  nap,  and  had  not  had  time 
to  change  their  apparel.  The  good  old  gentlemen  gave 
us  an  excellent  d  ler,  cooked  of  course  in  an  antique 
style,  by  the  silver-haired  matron  of  the  establishment; 
and,  after  the  repast  was  over.  Dr.  Kane  and  the 
Moravian  brethren  had  a  long  confab  on  religious  sub- 
jects, in  which  the  Doctor  always  took  a  lively  interest. 
After  our  return  to  the  ship,  our  commander  sent  me 
back  to  the  Leichtenfel  missionaries  with  a  philopena, 
consisting  of  about  two  barrels  of  excellent  Mdrcer 
potatoes,  which  they  received  with  many  grateful 
acknowledgments.  .   .  s*    ..Ki..  .*;  ^s.^.  ^ 

From  Fiskernaes  we  proceeded  slowly,  on  account 
of  adverse  winds,  to  another  Danish  settlement,,  called 
Suckertoppen,  (Sugar-peak,)  from  some  fancied  re- 
semblance of  a  stupendous  rocky  spire,  at  the  entrance 
of  the  harbor,  to  a  sugar-loaf.  I  supposed  this  peak 
to  be  more  than  2,500  feet  high.  It  is  truly  a  mag- 
nificent object,  when  the  observer  is  near  enough  to 
perceive  its  astonishing  altitude  and  dimensions.  In 
comparison  with  this  great  work  of  Nature,  the  tallest 

Egyptian  pyramid,  the  dome  of  St.  Peter,  or  any  other 
5 


1  ■  -■■t^-w3!-...^?-i'^'jiii*^jaK^.'. 


'T.tti^-!-  yi-^^-^-ii 


■  y^^mr 


50 


Godfrey's  nasbatiye  of  the 


production  of  human  art,  would  appear  perfectly  insig 


i*'.Vii',U  • 


Jf.\.-   M.         f.-t-Jlit. 


^■«f.  !        *4.. 


nificant. 

Our  next  remove  was  to  Proven,  situated  on  the 
western  coast  of  Greenland,  several  miles  above  Sucker- 
toppen.  At  all  of  these  Danish  settlements  we  stopped 
to  obtain  additional  supplies  of  furs,  carpenter's  tools, 
and  other  necessaries,  with  which  our  brig  had  not  pre- 
viously been  furnished.  A  few  more  dogs  of  the  Es- 
quimaux breed,  famous  for  their  sledge-drawing  abilities, 
were  shipped  at  Suckertoppen  and  Proven.  At  the 
last-named  place  we  remained  more  than  two  days, 
enjoying  the  luxuries  and  amusements  of  the  locality ; 
and  while  there,  we  were  lionized  almost  as  much  as  we 
had  previously  been  at  St.  John's,  but  in  a  somewhat 
different  style.  The  Governor  of  Proven  gave  a  grand 
fancy  ball  for  our  special  entertainment.  All  the  ladies 
of  the  settlement,  Danish  and  Esquimaux,  and  all  the 
male  aristocracy  of  the  place,  participated  in  this  e\e- 
gAntf^tey  which,  as  we  were  informed,  was  never  sur- 
passed in  splendor  by  any  thing  of  the  kind  which  the 
oldest  inhabitants  had  witnessed.  The  saloon  in  which 
this  ball  took  place  was  an  apartment  over  the  store- 
house, the  floor  of  which  consisted  of  boards  which  had 
never  been  profaned  by  a  touch  of  the?  jack-plane.  In 
the  ceiling  over  head  were  seen  the  naked  rafters,  and 
the  slate-roof  inclining  on  each  side,  like  an  angular 
sky,  to  the  plane  of  the  horizon.  This  chamber,  now 
devoted  to  Terpsichorean  festivities,  had  been  for 
twenty  years  at  least  in  the  undisturbed  possession  of 
the  rats,  which  appeared  to  consider  that  they  had 


^"•^&i:f"'"^ni^ 


J— 7™ 


-rCf  "S'-"-*  •■«  ■ 


QRINNELL  EXPLORING  EXPEDITION. 


51 


i%      f^ix'^/i^fviSiiviiis 


acquired  a  legal  right  to  the  premises.  Owing  to  the 
shape  of  the  ceilinrj,  the  dancers  were  confined  to  the 
middle  of  the  room,  while,  in  the  angles  where  the 
ceiling  and  floor  came  together,  the  rats,  with  "  shock- 
ing tameness,"  sat  in  full  view,  and  watched  our  mo- 
tions with  their  sharp  twinkling  eyes,  which  seemed  to 
sparkle  with  indignation  at  our  intrusive  audacity 

The  company  was  such  as  I  never  saw  in  a  dancing 
saloon  before,  and  never  expect  to  see  again.  Imagine 
a  score  of  Esquimaux  ladies,  in  seal-skin  pantalettes 
(fur  side  outward),  long  boots  of  the  same  material,  and 
"monkey-jackets,"  as  the  sailors  call  them,  composed 
of  coarse  cotton  clotk  r  incd  from  the  Danish  store- 
house. The  costume  '«he  Esquimaux  men  was  very 
little  different  from  that  of  the  females.  The  personal 
appearance  of  both  sexes  was  more  striking  than  pre- 
possessing. Their  short  and  broad  faces,  flat  noses, 
wide  mouths,  and  big  round  eyes,  their  long  bodies  and 
duck  legs,  their  copperish  complexions,  their  perpetual 
broad  grins,  their  uncouth  gesticulations,  all  these  pe- 
culiarities together  gave  me  the  impression  that  they 
were  the  most  extravagantly  burlesqued  specimens  of 
humanity  that  were  ever  produced  in  Nature's  work- 
shop. The  Danish  portion  of  our  company  made  a 
somewhat  better  appearance;  but  when  the  dancing 
commenced,  the  scene  altogether  was  so  exceedingly 
funny  that  no  description  could  do  it  justice.  Every 
gentleman  of  the  company  selected  a  female  partner, 
and  then  we  executed  some  of  the  most  original  waltzes 
and  polkas  that  ever  were  witnessed  between  the  paral- 


.-* 


'rIV\'yPi':''i*yit^ 


?;.'V^ 


,-r«--"  t^'I'^X  ■^"•~'  ■'h~- 


GODFREY  S  NARRATIYB  OF  THA  ^  , 

lels  of  20""  and  80°  North  lat^tade.  The  general  impres- 
Bion  seemed  to  be  that  whoever  could  jump  highest  and 
fall  hardest  was  the  greatest  adept  in  the  graceful  art 
of  dancing ;  and  jveral  of  our  ship's  company,  being 
young  and  active  fellows,  far  surpassing  both  Dai;>eb 
and  Esquimaux  in  agility,  acquitted  themselves  much 
to  their  individual  credit,  and  to  the  honor  and  glory 
of  the  nation  which  they  represented.  The  ladies  of 
the  party  expressed  much  admiration  of  my  perform- 
ance at  their  ball,  and  several  of  them  were  pleased  to 
remark,  that  if  I  would  remain  at  Proven  and  open  a 
dancing-school,  I  could,  no  doubt,  obtain  a  very  liberal 
share  of  public  patronage.  By  the  way,  all  the  knowl- 
edge of  dancing  which  I  possessed  must  have  been  in- 
tuitive, as  I  had  never  received  any  instruction  in  the 
art,  and  my  postures  and  motions,  which  elicited  so 
much  applause,  were  all  of  my  own  invention,  and  were 
most  extravagantly  original. 

^,^^  Having  greatly  improved  our  stock  of  provisions,  &c., 
at  Proven,  we  took  leave  of  our  numerous  friends  and 
acquaintances  at  that  place,  got  our  brig  under  weigh, 
and  steered  for  the  port  of  Upernavick,  the  most  north- 
ern Danish  settlement  on  the  coast  of  Greenland,  in 
lat.  72°  40'  N.,  Ion.  66°  W.  from  Greenwich.  This 
village  consists  of  some  half  a  dozen  comfortable  wooden 
houses,  occupied  by  the  Danish  settlers,  a  store-house, 
a  carpenter's  shop,  a  blacksmith's  shop,  and  several 
Esquimaux  huts  composed  of  earth  or  clay.  In  all  of 
these  Danish  settlements  on  the  coast  of  Greenland, 
the  population  is  partly  composed  of  a  mixed  breed  o" 


-i'-^'"""^-*- 


'r.'ym- 


QBINNELL  EXPLORING  EXPEDITION 


nn 


Danes  and  Esquimaux ;  a  '*  cross"  ^hich,  in  the  opinion 
of  our  astronomer  Sonntag,  is  superior  to  the  original 
stock  on  both  sides.  This  opinion  is  not  very  compli- 
mentary to  the  Danes.  They,  to  do  them  justice,  could 
hardly  be  improved  by  an  «.malgamation  with  the  Es- 
quimaux, who  are,  physically  and  intellectually,  inferior 
to  any  race  of  people  in  the  world,  except  some  tribes 
of  Africans,  which  are  scarcely  allowed,  by  several  sci- 
entific writers,  to  take  rank  among  the  human  species. 
At  Upernavick  we  opened  a  trade  with  the  sr  i  lers 
and  natives,  bartering  knives,  cheap  jewelry,  beads,  &c., 
for  furs  and  fresh  provisions.  We  also  obtained  another 
team  of  dogs  at  this  place,  and  engaged  a  Dane  named 
Petersen,  who  resided  here,  to  accompany  us  as  an  in- 
terpreter, to  facilitate  our  communications  with  the 
more  northern  tribes  of  Esquimaux.  Mr.  Petersen 
made  himself  generally  useful  on  board  of  the  brig ;  he 
was  a  skillful  hunter,  and  a  tolerable  carpenter ;  and, 
unlike  our  commander's  pet,  Hans  Christian,  and  two 
or  three  others  of  our  company,  he  had  no  repugnance 
for  work,  even  when  the  labors  to  be  performed  were 
out  of  the  line  of  his  prescribed  duties. 

-s 

6*  .  ,,..  • 


■■■■    ■■■  .;■  '"  V T- '}' 


6ii 


oodfrey's  nabeativs  of  ihb 


'<;V 


fn 


'tf->'-m^i^l^^i  CHAPTER  V.      ' 

WB  LEAVE  UPERNAVICK  AND  BID  ADIEU  TO  THE  HABIT- 
^'  ABLE  WORLD — THE  DEVIL'S  NIP — ICEBERGS — THEIR 
"*  MAGNIFICENCE  AND  SUBLIMITY — ROCKS  IMBEDDED  IN 
'^  THEIR  SIDES — THIS  PHENOMENON  ACCOUNTED  FOR— 
*'•  THE  author's  MOONLIGHT  MUSINGS — A  STRANGE 
»*  FANCY — OUR  BRIG  IN  DANGER — MIRACULOUS  ESCAPE 
t  — TOWED  BY  AN  ICEBERG — ARRIVAL  AT  HAKLUYT 
^  ISLAND-^DR.  KANE  AND  THE  AUTHOR  CATCH  A  COLD 
-^'  DUCK.  -,  <-■        -:■     t     ■  .■-     .-.:..  .^:i^„,    . 

♦'  Our  departure  from  Upernavick  was  almost  equiva- 
lent to  a  withdrawal  from  the  inhabitable  world ;  for, 
bejoiid  that  point,  all  traces  of  civilization  disappear 
and  the  dominions  of  the  Ice-King  are  fairly  entered. 
Sixty  miles  beyond  Upernavick,  we  reach  that  bug- 
bear of  arctic  navigators,  called  Melville  Bay,  which 
occupies  a  semi-circular  hollow  in  the  coast  of  Green- 
land, extending  from  Cape  York  southwardly  to  the 
74th  parallel  of  north  latitude,  fifty  miles  beyond  a 
point  called  the  Devil's  Thumb.  This  Bay  is  also 
called  the  Devil's  Nip — as  significative  of  its  dangerous 
character.  A  great  part  of  Melville  Bay,  namely,  that 
portion  which  lies  nearest  to  the  land,  is  constantly 
frozen  over,  presenting  a  solid  platform  of  ice  from 
thirty  to  forty  miles  in  breadth,  and  more  than  a  hun- 


QRINNELL  EXPLORTNG    EXPEDITION. 


m 


dred  miles  in  length.  From  the  outer  or  off-shore 
edge  of  this  platform,  huge  masses  or  floes  are  broken 
by  the  action  of  the  waves,  and  these  fioes,  obeying  the 
impulse  of  the  winds  and  tides,  are  sometimes  driven 
out  seaward  and  sometimes  floated  in  toward  the  land- 
ice,  with  which  it  comes  in  violent  contact,  producing  a 
.crash  like  **  the  crack  of  doom.*'  When  the  floes  set 
off  from  the  land-ice,  an  open  space  is  left  for  the  pas- 
sage of  ships,  if  they  choose  to  avail  themselves  of  this 
precious  but  perilous  opportunity.  When  a  ship  enters 
this  dangerous  passage,  it  must  always  be  with  the  un- 
derstanding that  a  change  of  wind  may  bring  the  floe  and 
land-ice  together  with  a  force  sufilcient  to  crush  any 
oaken  fabric  to  atoms.  Instead  of  hugging  the  ice- 
bound shore  of  the  bay,  according  to  the  usual  practice 
of  mariners  who  make  this  voyage,  the  Advance  stood 
out  to  aea,  taking  a  north-westerly  course  for  Cape 
York,  without  entering  Melville  Bay  at  all.  By  this 
expedient  we  avoided  the  danger  of  being  caught  be- 
tween the  masses  of  ice  with  which  the  bay  is  always 
covered,  but  we  incurred  other  dangers  almost  or  quite 
as  great,  for  we  encountered  many  bergs  and  other 
large  bodies  of  ice,  put  into  rapid  motion  by  tho  currents 
proceeding  from  Lancaster  and  Smith's  Sounds.  We 
had  the  ill-luck,  likewise,  to  be  encompassed  by  a  dense 
fog,  which  greatly  increased  the  danger  of  collision 
with  the  icebergs  that  bore  down  upon  us  from  seve- 
ral directions.     "^ \''  »«''%<-'''-> v.?  iw  .•■.;^vii-?ir.:  vy :.,^^;%,.  -■ 

The  appearance  of  icebergs  has  been  often  described  5 
at  least,  attempts  have  often  been  made  to  describe 


^.,.,,. 


••■TS»~»  r-^t 


56 


GODFREY'S  NABBATIVE  Ol!  THE 


thorn  ;  but  the  truth  is,  they  are  indescribable.  Thej 
are  certainly  the  most  magnificent  and  stupendous  ob- 
jects in  Nature.  Even  when  stationary,  they  are  un- 
rivalled in  grandeur  and  splendor  of  appearance  bjr 
any  other  terrestrial  object,  but  their  motions  cannot 
fail  to  impress  the  spectator  with  astonishment  and 
awe.  The  element  of  terror  is  not  wanting  to  make 
them  sublime ;  for  when  they  present  themselves  to  the 
mariner,  they  are  always  suggestive  of  trouble  and 
danger.  I  have  seen  some  icebergs  which  appeared  to 
ascend  to  the  height  of  from  two  hundred  to  five  hun- 
dred feet  above  the  level  of  the  water.  Their  appear- 
ance is  often  white,  so  thiit  they  resemble  clouds  at  a 
distance.  At  -other  times  they  appear  like  mountains 
of  glass,  with  many  dark  objects,  rocks  or  boulders, 
masses  of  earth,  &c.,  imbedded  in  their  sides.  The 
presence  of  huge  rocka  in  floating  icebergs  is  a  phe- 
nomenon whi'^h  requires  som«)  explanation.  The  polar 
icebergs  are  produced  by  glaciers  or  streams  of  ice, 
which  have  a  very  slow  but  constantly  progressive  mo- 
tion from  the  interior  of  Greenland  to  the  sea.  These 
ice-streams  probably  do  not  move,  on  an  average,  more 
than  one  fathom  in  a  week ;  however,  they  have  suffi- 
cient force  to  take  up  and  carry  along  large  masses  of 
rock  which  may  happen  to  lie  in  their  course.  When 
the  ice-current  reaches  the  sea,  a  deposit  is  formed  near 
t  coast,  the  ice  being  heaped  up  in  masses,  which  are 
.Jiy  increased  or  enlarged  by  accessions  of  new 
ice  from  the  glaciers ;  and  this  icy-river,  with  the  rocks 


ill    nfia    tf\vtxr\    iir\    trt    lia    T\t\ 
mil    !*«•£>     vwuCU     up     »U    AVO     pu 


puosugc,  otill  augments  the  heap, 


a  on  rmr% 


~r-^^^^-. 


ORINNELL   EXPLOHINO    SXPEBTTION. 


OT 


nntil  a  mountain  of  ice  is  formed,  and  this  mountain, 
being  detached  from  the  shore  by  the  winds  or  waves, 
becomes  a  moving  iceberg,  the  rocks  and  other  foreign 
sabstanoes  which  it  acquired  in  the  process  of  its  form- 
ation, being  still  a  part  of  its  component  material. 

Sometimes,  when  I  have  been  keeping  watch  on  deck, 
and  when  an  iceberg,  glittering  in  the  cold  arctic 
moonlight,  has  swept  past  our  vessel,  I  have  imagined 
strar«ge  but  not  impossible  things.  I  have  supposed, 
for  example,  that  the  body  of  the  lost  navigator  might 
be  enclosed  in  that  crystal  mass — enshrined  in  a  mov- 
able sepulchre  of  ice — and  that,  by  some  conceivable 
chance,  the  frozen  corpse  of  the  missing  Captain  might 
be  thus  conveyed  to  some  region  inhabited  by  civilized 
people,  his  own  countrymen  perhaps,  or  others  who 
have  been  deeply  interested  in  his  fate.  However  un- 
likely such  a  thing  might  be  to  happen,  it  is  not  beyond 
the  scope  of  poasibiliti/.  If  the  arctic  voyagers  had 
forsaken  their  ships  and  betaken  themselves  to  land 
I  travel,  they  might  have  sunk  exhausted  on  the  surface 
of  a  glacier ;  in  that  case,  their  bodies  would  have  been 
carried  onward  by  the  gelid  current,  and  finally  incor- 
porated with  an  iceberg.  And,  as  large  rocks  are 
often  transported  in  icebergs  to  far  distant  shores,  the 
[body  of  a  man  might  change  its  locality  by  means  of 
Ithe  same  kind  of  conveyance.  But  this  may  appear  to 
■the  reader  to  be  a  very  idle  speculation ;  much  like 
|Hamlet*s  attempt  to  show  how  the  mortal  remains  of 
Julius  Caesar  might  be  used  to  stop  the  bung  of  a  beer* 


'Ui  ici. 


'I  u'««-. 


58 


GODFREYS  NARRATIVE  OF  THE 


On  the  29th  day  of  July,  we  found  ourselves  sur. 
rounded  by  drifting  ice,  nvhich  threatened  to  close  in 
on  us — an  event  which  would  probably  have  wrecked 
the  brig  and  endangered  the  lives  of  all  on  board.  On 
each  side  of  us  was  a  floe  of  vast  extent  and  several 
feet  in  height  above  the  water-line;  and  we  saw,  with 
no  little  dread,  that  these  floes  were  approaching  each 
other,  80  that  the  lane  of  water  in  which  the  brig  was 
sailing  became  narrower  every  moment.  It  was  easy 
to  foresee  what  would  be  the  catastrophe  if  we  did  not 
escape  from  the  contracting  passage  before  the  two 
floes  came  in  actual  contact.  At  this  critical  juncture, 
an  iceberg,  impelled  by  the  current  from  Lancaster 
Sound,  came  drifting  past  us  with  a  degree  of  speed 
which  our  vessel  could  not  attain.  We  concluded  to 
employ  this  berg  as  a  tow-horse,  and  one  of  my  com- 
panions and  myself  were  sent  out  in  a  boat  with  a  tow- 
line  and  ice-anchor  to  make  fast.  The  ice-anchor  used 
by  us  was  similar  in  form  to  a  pot-hook,  or  the  letter  S ; 
the  line  was  attached  to  one  extremity,  and  the  other 
was  inserted  in  a  hole  which  we  were  obliged  to  cut  in 
the  ice  with  a  mallet  and  chisel.  I  found  it  rather  a 
*'  ticklish"  operation  to  cut  a  mortice  in  a  moving  ice- 
berg ;  for,  in  the  performance  of  this  task,  I  was  com- 
pelled to  stand  in  the  boat,  which  my  comrade  sculled 
and  held  as  steadily  as  possible  against  the  side  of  the 
berg.  With  riuch  labor,  wo  succeeded  at  last  in  get- 
ting our  anchor  firmly  planted ;  and,  before  the  line  was 
drawn  taut,  we  got  on  board  of  the  brig,  which  soon 
beoran  to  bound  forward  like  a  wild  horse,  the  iceberi! 

9  '  ■    /  w 


■w  i  --.■J  (lIVJt.tSlui-A  Jli"*.! 


Duraelvea  8ur« 
id  to  close  in 
have  wrecked 
n  board.     On 
it  and  several 
we  saw,  with 
reaching  each 
\  the  brig  was 
It  was  easy 
I  if  we  did  not 
efore  the  two 
itical  juncture, 
om  Lancaster 
gree  of  speed 
»  concluded  to 
ne  of  my  com- 
)at  with  a  tow- 
ce-anchor  used 
►r  the  letter  S ; 
and  the  other 
)liged  to  cut  in 
nd  it  rather  a 
a  moving  ice- 
sk,  I  was  com- 
)mrade  sculled 
he  side  of  the 
at  last  in  get- 
re  the  line  was 
ig,  which  soon 
se.  the  iceberg 


■% 


QBnflfILL   IXPLORIMQ   XXPBDITION. 


•1 


dragging  her  along  much  better  than  a  steam  "  tug" 
could,  have  done  it.  In  order  to  got  ahead  ns  fast  at 
possible,  as  no  time  was  to  be  lost,  we  drew  in  the  tow- 
line  and  thus  brought  the  brig  under  a  projection  of  the 
berg,  which  was  somewhat  higher  than  our  main-mast. 
We  had  scarcely  placed  ourselves  in  this  position,  when 
a  curious  crepitation  above  our  heads  was  heard ;  and, 
at  the  same  time,  a  sort  of  shower  of  hail  began  to  fall 
on  deck.  Lumps  of  ice  as  big  as  hen's  eggs  cane  rat> 
tling  down ;  and  one  of  our  fellows,  while  inconsiderately 
looking  up  to  see  where  they  came  from,  was  knocked 
flat  on  his  back  by  one  of  the  ice-lumps,  which  struck 
him  between  the  eyes.  We  now  began  to  guess  what 
was  about  to  happen,  and  immediately  commenced  pay- 
ing out  the  tow-line  as  fast  as  possible,  thus  allowing 
the  iceberg  to  shoot  ahead  of  the  brig ;  and  we  did  not 
escape  from  our  dangerous  neighbor  too  soon,  for  we 
had  scarcely  fallen  back  to  the  distance  of  thirty 
fathoms,  when  a  mass  of  ice,  weighing  probably  fifty 
tons  or  more,  fell  from  the  overhanging  summit  of  the 
berg,  with  a  thundering  report,  caused  by  the  sudden 
fracture  of  so  large  a  body.  The  huge  fragment  drop- 
ped into  the  sea  at  the  very  spot  which  the  brig  would 
have  occupied,  had  we  not  cast  off  in  time  to  avoid  the 
impending  danger.  With  considerable  exertion,  we  ex- 
tricated the  brig  from  her  perilous  position  among  the 
floating  ice ;  and,  after  the  alarming  adventure  related 
above,  we  met  with  little  obstruction  until  we  doubled 
Cape  Dudley  Digges,  in  lat.  76°.  We  were  now  in  a 
i  part  of  Baflin's  Bay  called  bv  the  whalers  North  Water* 


P  ,    qOI>i'B£T8  NARRATIVZ  Of  THE     ^ 

Here  the  ice  seldom  collects  in  any  considerable  quan- 
tity, and  we  were  enabled  to  proceed  on  our  voyage  for 
several  days  without  any  impediment,  passing  Gapes 
Athol,  Abernethy,  and  Parry,  and  the  islands  of  BqX- 
rymple  and  Carys. 

On  the  6th  of  August,  we  reached  Hakluyt  Island, 
lat.  VT*'  22^  This  is  the  most  westerly  island  of  a 
group,  lying  in  an  indentation  of  the  shore,  between 
Capes  Parry  and  Robertson.  Hakluyt  Island  is  dis- 
tinguished by  a  tall  rocky  peak,  which  rises  to  the 
height  of  about  five  hundred  and  eighty  feet  above  the 
level  of  the  water.  In  the  neighborhood  of  this  island, 
we  shot  ^wo  white  bears  on  the  ice.  As  we  had  not 
tasted  any  fresh  meat  for  several  weeks,  the  flesh  of 
these  animals  was  an  acceptable  article  of  food,  though 
the  flavor  is  rather  stronger  than  delicate  stomachs 
might  tolerate.  The  liver  of  the  polar  bear  is  said  to 
be  poisonous ;  and  we  had  some  evidence  of  the  fact, 
for  several  of  our  men  who  partook  of  it  were  extremely 
ill  afterward. 

At  Hakluyt  Island  Br.  Kane  and  I  went  ashore  in 
a  boat.  The  place  was  frightfully  desolate,  but  having 
made  our  boat  fast  to  the  shore,  we  walked  a  little  way 
into  the  interior,  to  make  observations.  The  island 
seemed  to  be  a  compound  mass  of  rock  and  ice,  and  we 
soon  became  tired  of  a  scene  which  presented  so  little 
variety.  On  our  return  to  the  boat,  we  found  that  the 
brig  had  set  sail  to  avoid  some  drifting  ice  which  threat- 
ened to  surround  her,  and  I  was  obliged  to  row  the  boat 
six  miles  before  we  overtook  the  Advance ;  and  then^ 


%, 


OBINNELL  EXPLOBINQ  EXPEDITION. 


63 


while  endeavoring  to  get  on  board^  yre  had  our  boat 
''  stove,"  or  crushed,  between  a  large  cake  of  ice  and 
the  side  of  the  brig.  The  Doctor  and  I  were  both 
pretty  well  "  ducked,"  being  plunged  head  and  ears  in 
water  which  must  have  been  near  the  temperature  of 
melting  ice.  As  I  had  been  rowing  hard  for  six  miles, 
I  was  in  a  profuse  perspiration  when,  by  the  smashing 
of  the  boat,  I  was  plungeO  into  the  icy  water;  yet, 
strange  to  say,  I  did  not  take  cold,  nor  did  any  of  my 
subsequent  exposure  aifect  my  health  in  the  slightest 
degree.  I  never  had  a  touch  of  catarrh  or  rheumatism 
while  I  was  in  the  Arctic  regions ;  but  since  I  returned 
to  a  temperate  climate,  I  have  seldom  been  quite  free 
from  one  or  the  other  of  these  diseases.  These  are 
facts  which  the  medical  men  may  find  it  somewhat  diffi- 
cult to  explain.   ,  .   ,    , 


C 


\AA^i*^         '"Sfff '^  '*' 


*■  ^ 


^^^'n'i 


* 


■^%   i'jfe**»1^   i^^.^^tV-Jiik' 


«    iy 


*  'V'>'W«|^ 


'^t>»*fijj  n  jvx<<#H    ***• 


■  ■.-;"-"""'>■     v'"» 


m 


GODFREY'S  NARKATZYB  OF  THS     ^ 


Hl*tr< 


fc^:ri^^t;i^^^^^^^      CHAPTER  VI.    ■-"-'' -i-^:/- .^  .v> 


MR.  WILLIAM   MORTON'S  FAMOUS  DISCOVERY — THE  AU- 
THOR'S MISGIVINGS  ON  THE  SUBJECT — VISIONARY  MIS- 
TAKES   AND   HALLUCINATIONS   OP    ARCTIC  TRAVELERS 
f ^-BLOOD-STAINED    SNOW — NO    ACCOUNTING    FOR    THE 
PHENOMENON — WE  ENTER  SMITH'S  SOUND  AND  MEET 
iWlTH    GREAT    OBSTACLES — THE    AUTHOR'S    PECULIAR 
^HARDSHIPS— HIS  UNPOPULARITY  AMONG  THE  OFFICERS 
—HINTS   FOR   AMERICAN   SEAMEN.  ^  ^^H 


Smith's  Sound,  or  Smith's  Strait,  (as  Dr.  Kane  is 
pleased  to  call  it),  extends  almost  due  northward  iVoni 
the  Capes  Alexander  and  Isabella  to  the  ^*  open  polar 
sea,"  discovered  by  Mr.  Morton,  steward  of  the  Advance, 
jn  whose  statement  Dr.  Kane  appears  to  place  unlimited 
confidence.  However,  as  much  depends  on  the  correct- 
ness of  Mr.  Morton's  statement,  I  will  take  the  liberty 
to  remark  that  he  may  have  possibly  been  mistaken. 
The  Arctic  regions  are  a  kind  of  "  Dreamland,"  in 
which  people  are  apt  to  imagine  that  they  see  more  than 
is  to  be  seen.  We  have  an  example  of  the  kind  in  the 
famous  discovery  of  the  "  Croker  Mountains,"  by  Cap- 
tain Ross.  These  mountains,  supposed  to  be  situated 
near  the  entrance  of  Lancaster  Sound,  never  had  any 
existence  except  in  the  imagination  of  the  Captain  juat 


GRINNELL  SXPLORINO   EXPEDITION. 


named.    And  yet  very  few  people  suppose  that  Captain 
Ross  intended  to  deceive.     One  eflfect  of  the  extreme 
cold  in  the  polar  regions  is  to  make  some  persons  de- 
lirious;  and,  under  the  influence  of  their  temporary 
phrenzy,  such  persons  may  persuade  themselves  that 
they  see  ohjects  which  have  no  real  existence.     I  could 
give  the  reader  many  striking  exemplifications  of  this 
curious  fact ;  but  one  instance,  in  particular,  occurs  to 
my  rememhrance.     Once  when  Dr.  Kane  and  I  were 
traveling  together  in  the  interior  of  Greenland,  the 
cold  was  so  excessive  that  the  Doctor  partially  lost  his 
seDses.    At  this  time  he  fancied  that  we  were  pursued 
by  a  bear;  and  so  strong  was  the  impression  on  his 
mind,  that  he  often  referred  to  the  circumstance  after- 
ward, seeming  to  have  no  doubt  that  it  was  a  veritable 
fact.    Now,  to  my  certain  knowledge,  no  bear  was  seen 
while  we  were  on  that  journey,  and  the  one  which  the 
Doctor  thought  he  saw  must  have  been  an  ideal  creation* 
Various  circumstances  incline  me  to  suspect  that  Mr. 
Morton  labored  under  a  similar  hallucination  when  he 
thought  that  he  saw  an  open  polar  sea  at  the  northern 
extremity  of  Smith's  Sound.     If  such  a  sea  exists,  it  is 
a  settled  fact  tV'^t  Greenland  is  an  island,  and  not  a 
peninsula  or  a  part  of  an  arctic  continent.     I  do  not 
think  that  the  statement  of  one  man  should  settle  a 
question  of  so  much  importance  to  geographical  science ; 
and,  while  I  acquit  Mr.  Morton  of  any  intention  to 
mislead  the  public  mind  on  this  subject,  I  feel  justified 
in  warning  future  navigators  not  to  place  too  much  re- 
liance on  his  supposed  discovery.  r)i,^:>mi^"^w^^  -^tm:^. 
6*   :.^  '  '    "^'^ 


■■*■■ 


m 


QODPREY^S   NARRATIVE  OT  THB 


■'*, 


^  We  reached  Cape  Alexander,  at  the  entrance  of 
Smith's  Sound,  on  the  6th  of  August.  At  this  cape, 
as  well  as  on  many  other  parts  of  the  Greenland  coast, 
there  is  a  rocky  embankment  several  hundred  feet  in 
height.  The  shelving  rocks  on  the  coast  are  usually 
covered  with  snow;  but  the  precipices  are  bare,  and 
present  a  hideously  frowning  and  gloomy  appearance. 
At  some  points,  the  snow  on  the  lofty  embankment  is 
almost  as  red  as  blood,  especially  at  a  place  called 
"  Crimson  Cliffs,"  near  Capo  Dudley  Digges.  I  have 
heard  that  snow  often  assumes  this  appearance  in  cer- 
tain situations.  Captain  Koss  observed  the  same  phe- 
nomenon at  various  points  on  the  shore  of  Melville  Bay. 
Saursure  witnessed  a  similar  appearance  of  the  snow 
on  some  parts  of  the  Alps,  and  Martin  observed  the 
same  thing  at  Spitzbergen.  It  seems,  then,  that  the 
cause  of  the  appearance,  whatever  it  may  be,  is  not 
confined  to  any  particular  locality.  Curiosity  induced 
me  to  examine  the  snow  at  **  Crimson  Cliffs,"  and,  with 
the  Captain's  permission,  I  took  a  boat  and  went  ashore 
for  that  purpose.  The  snow  on  these  cliffs  appeared 
to  be  stained  by  some  foreign  substance,  and  I  expected 
to  find  the  discoloration  only  on  the  surface ;  but,  to 
rr*j  great  surprise,  the  same  crimson  hue  was  observable 
r«h:m  I  had  dug  through  the  snow  to  the  depth  of  ten 
feet.  At  the  same  time,  I  satisaed  myself  that  the 
coloring  process  did  not  begin  at  the  bottom,  for,  in  all 
cases,  the  lower  stratum  of  snow,  or  that  portion  which 
was  in  immediate  contact  with  the  rock,  Tiis  white. 
But  for  this  circumstance,  I  micrht  have  susnected  that 


GBINNELL  EXPLORINa  EXPEDITION. 


67 


the  unusual  color  of  the  snow  is  caused  by  some  pecu- 
liarity of  the  rock  on  which  it  rests.  I  am  sorry  that 
I  am  unable  to  offer  the  reader  any  satisfactory  expla- 
nation of  this  curious  matter ;  and  I  do  not  know  that 
it  has  ever  been  explained  in  a  manner  to  satisfy  any 
rational  inquirer.  .^.^j,  ,^ 

If  Smith's  Sound  had  been  navigable,  it  would  have 
offered  us.a  passage  in  the  direction  we  wished  to  travel, 
nearly  to  the  northern  parts  of  Greenland.  But  we 
soon  ascertained  that  sailing  up  this  Soun4  was  an  ex- 
tremely diflScult  undertaking ;  for  this  piece  of  water  is 
incumbered  with  ice  at  all  seasons ;  and,  for  much  the 
greater  part  of  the  year,  sailing  is  entirely  out  of  the 
question.  From  the  time  we  passed  Cape  Alexander, 
at  the  entrance  of  the  Sound,  the  brig,  for  all  purposes 
of  progression,  might  as  well  have  been  a  scow  or  a 
raft,  or  any  other  nautical  contrivance  without  masts 
or  sails.  These  appendages  were  now  entirely  useless, 
for  there  was  not  sea-room  enough  to  make  them 
serviceable.  The  only  open  track  through  which  the 
brig  could  pass,  was  a  narrow  "lead,"  or  lane  of 
water,  near  the  shore,  where  the  ice  had  been  partially 
broken  up  by  the  waves.  Owr  only  mode  of  progres- 
sion was  by  "trailing"  or  "warping;"  a  toilsome  pro- 
cess, which  consists  in  affixing  a  line  or  hawser  rj  some 
object  ahead,  and  dragging  the  vessel  along  by  winding 
I  up  the  rope  on  the  capstur..  In  this  way,  whole  days 
were  consumed  in  advancing  a  few  miles,  the  men  being 
exhausted  by  severe  labor  and  discouraged  by  their 
Aardy  progresa,      I  believe   Captain    Kane    himself 


«.- 


fl.i.   <  MT^iiifiriaiJ^  ■ 


J  \:li'>^i.  ^J 


68 


^<<mmrt^  fSte] 


lYE  OP  THB 


^'    -u, 


I   t 


acknowledges  vhai;  a  full  share  of  these  laborious  opera- 
tions devolved  on  me.  In  bodily  strength  and  activity 
I  was  Huperior  to  my  comrad':^3 ;  and,  owing  to  some- 
peculiarity  of  constitution,  I  was  but  little  affec*;ed  br 
the  cold,  although  I  wore  less  clothing  ihan  any  other 
man  in  the  brig.  I  was  generally  selected,  therefore, 
for  the  performance  of  those  taslis  which  involved  most 
toil  and  hirdship ;  and,  by  degree?,  I  beft^mc  a/^c 
totum ;  iijisistant  cook,  journeyman  carpenter,  cog- 
trainer-geneiai,  is?.figc-(1ri'per,  seai-akin  breeches  and 
boot-maker,  boar  arid  1  x  hunter ;  in  short,  Caleb 
Quotem  himself  had  n? ;  a  greater  variety  of  occupa- 
tions. But,  ttllhoiigh  1  was  acknowledged  to  be  a  useful 
member  of  our  arctic  community,  I  never  had  the  good 
fortune  to  bei>:»me  a  favorite  with  our  oflScers.  Doub;V 
les^  my  unpopularity  among  the  aristocracy  of  the  brig 
was,  in  some  measure,  the  effect  of  a  certain  inflexibility 
of  disfjK  nation,  for  which  Yankees,  in  all  situations,  are 
more  or  less  remarkable.  The  discipline  of  the  Navy 
requires  the  common  seamen  to  be  humble  and  submis- 
sive to  their  superiors,  viz.,  the  officers ;  and  the  latter 
often  exact  as  much  homage  from  the  sailors  as  a  king 
could  exptjct  to  receive  from  his  subjects.  My  early 
training,  ray  feelings  of  independence  and  sense  of 
equuiifcy,  did  not  qualify  me  for  the  station  in  which 
I  had  thoughtlessly  placed  myself;  and  hence,  withon; 
intending  to  offend  the  officers,  I  often  excited  th 
indignation  and  resenttn  ot.  I  felt  little  re  ^ec? 
affection  for  some  offic*.   personages  on  boaro 


■i 


Advance*  and  what  I  did  not  feel,  I  did  not  choc'v  to 


fs. 


»"■ 


orions  opera- 
L  and  activity 
I  wing  to  soin:' 
e  aflFec*;ed  hr 
iaY\  any  other 
aL  therefo 


«f4 


,wo 


involved  most 
bec?mc  a/ofc 
rpenter.  Gog- 
breeches  and 

short,   Caleb 
ty  of  occupa- 

to  he  a  uscfal 

r  had  the  goo'l 

cers.     Doubt- 

cy  of  the  hrig  | 

in  inflexibility 

situations,  are  | 

)  of  the  Navy 

e  and  submis- 

and  the  latter 

ilors  as  a  king 

ts.     My  early 

and  sense  of 

ation  in  which 

lence,  •withon'.  ^ 

excited  th 
tie  re  ;^9fl' 

boaro     f  .' 


AAV  V     V*J  *.'<-    .' 


oBonqoL  xxPLOBDva  izraDinoN. 


affect.  However,  I  did  my  duty  faithfully,  and  treated 
tha  oncers  with  as  much  deference  as  I  supposed  the 
exigencies  of  the  service  to  require.  In  this  connec- 
tion, I  fi  ^'1  constrained  to  say  that  the  naval  service , 
of  the  Hem  :^u  States,  as  well  as  that  of  Great  Britain, 
must  be  grievously  oppressive  to  any  seaman  or  sub- 
ordinate officer  who  has  that  nice  sense  of  honor,  and  , 
thut  iiVL<ate  feeling  of  justice,  which  impel  a  man  to 
re- '<^t  tyranny  and  wrong.  The  spirit  of  freedom  and 
independence  is  sadly  out  6f  place  on  the  fore-deck,  as 
the  American  navy  is  now  constituted ;  and  I  do  not 
wonder  that  our  national  ships  are  manned  chiefly  by 
foreigners,  as  few  natives  of  the  American  soil  are  base 
and  slavish  enough  to  submit  to  the  hard  and  humiliat- 
ing requirements  of  our  sea-service,  unless  they  are 
privileged  to  walk  the  quarter-deck. 


.  ^^rt.^^.       -t-^ 


J  •  -t 


liwm  i*?^'  r^^ihrw^fiw^  a^'^nw-^^is^ 


-^ 


V'S^iiMfe,. 


^'"'''  ""'^m^-ii^C'"^ 


to 


CHn>rRlT*8  NARRATIVIS  OF  Till 


r 

■m'^'- 

Hj^    ' 

■^ ' 

p: 

'        ^-S:- 

'■••a'". 

,t 

>~ 

/!♦■• 

.jji^if^v.  ••    -^^i^ftiif^':-  --#^^^   ■.^.c^r'i.i   '^-'■--'''tv. 


CHAPTER    VII. 


v-i; 


WB  VISIT  A  DESOLATE  ISLAND — MELANCHOLY  SIGNS  Of 
FORMER  INHABITANTS — ^WE  ARE  FROZEN  UP — EXTRI- 
CATS  OURSELVES  BTHARD  LABOR — ANCHOR  UNDER  OOD* 
BEND  LtiDGE — TERRIFIC  STORM — DESPERATE  SITUA- 
TION OF  THE  ADVANCE — A  BOLD  EXPEDIENT — WB  ARB 
AGAIN   TOWED  BT  AN  ICEBERG — OUR  MIRACULOUS  DE- 


}t 


% 


LIVBRANCE— PROBABLE  FATE  OF  SIR  JOHN  FRANKLIN. 


A  SMALL  pat6h  of  gronnj,  or  rock,  (to  speak  more 
properly),  called  Littleton  Island,  lies  near  the  entrance 
of  Smith's  Sound.  August  6,  we  landed  on  this  island, 
which  is  destitute  of  all  vegetation  except  a  certain 
kind  of  moss  which  grows  on  the  rocks.  Scarcely  any 
thing  Was  visible  except  masses  of  rocks  and  lumps  of 
iee;  but,  after  walking  a  little  way  from  the  shore, 
we  were  surprised  to  find  the  ruins  of  Exquimaux  hut>. 
It  is  hard  to  imagii)^  how  any  human  beings  could  live 
in  such  a  frightful  place ;  and  there  was  reason  to 
think  that  the  former  iph|ibitaptj9  of  thip  desolate  isle 
had  perished  either  with  hunger  or  cold.  Skeletons 
were  found  lying  on  the  ground,  ^ear  the  remains  of 
the  wretched  dwellings.  We  thought  it  possible  that  one 
hundred  and  fifty  or  two  hundred  years  had  elapsed 
since  the  place  was  inhabited,  ^s  many  of  the  bones 
had  almost  crumbled  to  dust..  ^ 


St.  Ji_^^  '  '^'  'l^  ..'.^.^ 


!'^.i<M.'!i'A-M*M:a#«bS'.-»:'':-i'  .'J^-^^.-M 


-^^^le&^P 


'rm^ 


QRINNILL  IXPLOBma  KXTIDlTIOIf 


71 


We  erected  a  cairn  on  this  island  and  deposited 
8ome  provisions  and  other  articles,  which  we  thought 
might  be  useful  on  our  return.  On  the  8th,  we  an- 
chored in  a  small  cove,  to  which  our  Commander  gave 
the  name  of  Refuge  Harbor;  where  we  were  soon 
locked  up  by  the  ice.  By  cutting  and  sawing  at  the 
floes  we  succeeded,  with  immense  labor,  in  opening  a 
track,  through  which  the  brig  was  warped  along  the 
shore  for  several  miles,  until  we  reached  an  isolated 
rock,  to  which  Dr.  Kane  gave  ^he  title  of  Godfend 
Ledge.  I  suppose  ho  intended  this  name  as  a  grateful 
acknowledgment  of  the  protection  which  the  rock 
afforded  us  from  the  drifting  ice.  Under  the  lee  of 
this  rock  we  remained  in  security  unti)  the  20th  of 
August ;  when  the  gale,  which  had  been  rather  '*st^' 
for  several  days,  became  a  storm  of  extraordina^J 
violence.  Our  situation  now,  with  a  rook  on  one  side, 
and  a  raging  sda,  incumbered  with  huge  fragments  of 
ice,  on  the  other,  began  to  look  very  threatening.  The 
chief  danger  was  from  the  ice-billows,  or  large  cakes 
and  lumps  of  ice  which  were  tossed  about  by  the  surg- 
ing waves  with  such  force  as  to  make  it  appear  that 
no  vessel  could  live  among  them.  Our  position  under 
the  lee  of  the  rock  was  comparatively  safe ;  but  how 
was  that  position  to  be  maintained?  The  brig  had 
three  several  moorings  :  a  chain-cable,  a  whale  line  and 
a  ten-inch  Manilla  hawser.  The  latter  was  our  chief 
dependence.  The  force  o^  Vr  •'.  rushing  tide  and  that  of 
the  hurricane  combined,  pt  >  our  fastenings  to  a  severe 
^est.    The  cLwiu-cable  was  the  first  to  give  way;  it 


t; 


.^. 


TT--  -- 


12 


qodfbet's  nabbative  of  the 


parted  with  a  sharp  eor-torturing  snap  ;  the  brig  fell 
back  and  hauled  the  whale  lin*^  ♦--ut ;  this  rope  stretched 
and  chafed  for  a  few  min  '.r>b  un<i  luen  gave  way  with 
a  sonorous  twang.     The  Alaniila  cable  now  appeared  to 
be  "  the  thread  of  oar  destiny,"  and  a  pretty  stout 
one  it  was — but  no  string  spun  by  mortal  man  could 
havd  withstood  that  racket.     The  r-^v^c.   ^^.uy  j^^dge 
what  forces  wc  had  to  contend  with,  when  he  under- 
stands that  th  ;y  were  sufficient  to  break  a  rope  made 
in  the  best  sty* j,  and  of  the  best  material,  and  as  thick 
as  a  man's  hoij.    When  that  rope  gave  way,  some  of 
us  thought  of  saying  our  last  prayer  ;  but  one  or  two, 
on  "  sober  second  thought,"  concluded  to  d — n  our  ill- 
luck  ;  and,  in  these  orisons,  all  of  those  who  had  any 
hand  in  getting  up  the  Expedition  were  remembered. 
After  awhile,  however,  it  seemed  that  there  were  some 
on  board  who  were  not  fated  to  be  drowned;  for 
although  the  brig  was  now  at  liberty  to  be   cashed  and 
go  the  bottom,  if  she  thought  proper,  she  preferred  to 
keep  afloat,  and  really  she  behaved  wonderfully  well 
when  she  was  whirled  oui  ^mong  the  Wi  ily  pitching  and 
plunging  masses  of  ice,  many  of  which  were  twice  as 
large  as  the  brig  herself,   and  the  wa;^  in  whicli  they 
knocked  each  other  to  pieces,  showed  what  they  would  bf 
certain  to  do  if  they  came  in  collis'm  Vith  our  vessel. 
I  succeeded  in  reconciling  mysc'     o    hat  seemed  to 
be  my  certain  doom ;  for  I  considx^red  t.he  destruction 
of  the  orig  and  the  loss  of  all  on  board  as  inevitable. 
At  that  moment  of  dreadful  expectation,  it  afforded  me 
some  comfort  to  reflect  that  few  of  our  company  were 


MM  ,»    lip    I      HPIMJB    III      |ir-^T-  'TT' 


le  brig  fell 
po  stretched 
,ve  way  with 
appeared  to 
pretty  stout 
1  man  could 

m  lie  under- 
&  rope  made 
,  and  as  thick 
Yay,  some  of 
b  one  or  two, 
d — n  our  ill- 
who  had  any 
remembered, 
re  were  some 
drowned;  for 
flashed  and 
9  preferred  to 
aderfuUy  well 
y  pitching  and 
were  twice  as 
in  whicU  they 
they  would  he 
th  our  vessel. 
hat  seemed  to 
he  destruction 
as  inevitable, 
it  afforded  me 
company  were 


iC' 


t"^'' 


L    -. 


dK., 


i< 


•'^:.-t 


'.^ 


"fjit.  (, 


QBINNKLL  IXVLOaUfU  IXFEDITION. 


married  men,  and  that,  consequently,  there  would  be 
but  few  disconsolate  widows  made  bj  our  misadventure. 
I  sincerely  hoped  that  no  future  Expedition  would  be 
sent  out  to  search  for  us ;  for  I  had  no  desire  that  other 
lives  should  be  sacrificed  **  to  grace  our  fall  and  make 
our  ruin  glorious."  «, 

Most  fortunately  for  us,  the  brig  was  driven  by  the 
wind  and  waves  shoreward,  where  an  open  lane  of 
water  between  the  land-ice  and  the  "pack,"  gave  us  an 
opportunity  to  warp  our  vessel  along  and  keep  her 
away  from  the  driving  current.  Northward,  where  the 
Sound  becomes  narrower,  we  could  see  the  floating  ice 
driven  as  it  were,  to  a  focus,  by  the  tide ;  there  the  large 
cakes  of  ice  ground  and  dashed  against  each  other,  in 
a  manner  frightful  to  behold ;  and  if  the  Advance 
should  be  forced  into  that  chaotic  whirlpool  of  ice  and 
water,  it  appeared  certain  that  she  must  be  pulverized 
like  a  grain  of  corn  in  a  grist-mill.  In  that  case,  not 
an  individual  on  board  could  have  possibly  escaped  to 
tell  the  story,  and  our  fate  would  have  been  as  myste- 
rious as  that  of  Sir  John  Franklin. 

The  brig  being  now  adrift,  and  the  probability  being 
that  she  would  "  bring  up  "  in  some  position  from  which 
she  could  not  be  extricated,  all  hands  made  preparation 
to  leave  her,  at  short  notice.  Every  man  put  up  his 
"  kit,"  and  made  himself  ready  for  a  journey  over  the 
ice,  as  this  appeared  to  be  the  only  means  of  escape. 
In  the  meanwhile,  we  tried  to  make  the  best  of  existing 
circumstances.  The  gale  was  still  v^ry  violent,  and 
we  were  obliged  to  scud  before  it  with  a  reefed  top-sail; 


m 


OODrBlY'B  NARRATIVl  01  TRI 


as  any  attempt  to  withstand  the  foroes  which  were 
operating  on  us,  would  merely  have  made  matters  worse. 
We  pasbod  a  fearful  night,  in  constant  expectation  of 
having  our  vessel  dashed  to  pieces,  and  in  the  morning 
we  found  ourselves  on  the  very  edge  of  that  dangerous 
whirlpool  of  ice  and  water,  to  which  reference  has  pre* 
viously  been  made.  At  this  point,  the  Sound  makes  a 
bend  to  the  north-eastward,  and  the  reaction  of  the 
current  against  a  projection  of  land,  called  Cape  Sabine, 
produced  a  violent  commotion  of  the  waves  and 
their  superincumbent  masses  of  ioo.  To  keep  the  brig 
out  of  this  frightful  vortex,  we  put  out  our  heaviest 
anchor ;  b^i  this  experiment  succeeded  so  badly,  that 
wo  soon  had  reason  to  wish  it  had  not  been  tried.  As 
soon  as  the  course  of  the  brig  was  arrested  by  the 
anchor,  the  pressure  of  the  ice,  which  was  sent  against 
our  devoted  vessel  by  the  resistless  force  of  the  current, 
ma'^'^  <^i  complete  wreck  of  the  sternpost  and  rudder, 
and  the  work  of  destruction  would  soon  have  extended 
to  other  parts  of  tho  brig,  had  we  not  immediately  cast 
loose  the  chain-cable,  and  permitted  the  vessel  to  drive 
ahead,  by  leaving  her  anchor  at  the  bottom  of  the 
Sound.  Once  more  ut  the  mercy  pf  the  wind  and  tide, 
the  brig  dashed  on  among  the  ice-breakers,  rasping 
her  side  against  a  floe  forty  feet  thick,  and  soon  knock- 
ing her  starboard  bow  against  a  lump  of  ice  as  big  as  a 
church.  By  this  accident  some  of  our  forward  wood- 
work was  smashed  to  small  pieces,  and  about  a  dozen 
cart-loads  of  ice  were  deposited  on  our  deck.  Just 
ahead  of  us,  now  appeared  half  a  dosen  icebergs,  oiT 


•^?;:!Ai&i3riSi3E3S 


-iT^rT" — w^^'^wjjy^  1 


GRIMNELL  EXPLOBINO  SXFBDITION. 


It 


various  shapes  and  sizes,  among  which  the  current 
would  soon  carry  uk<,  and  a  collision  with  which  appeared 
to  be  unavoidable.  Several  of  these  bergs  wore  a  very 
threatening  aspect,  as  their  tops  projected  far  over  the 
water,  and  produced  the  impression  that  they  must  soon 
turn  over  or  break  off  at  the  summit.  These  tricks  are 
very  common  with  icebergs,  and  we  had  already  made 
several  narrow  escapes  from  the  effects  thereof.  The 
reader  may  form  some  idea  of  the  danger  which 
mariners  might  incur  from  the  sudden  whirling  over  of 
an  iceberg  more  than  two  hundred  feet  high.  The 
peril  is  scarcely  less  when  a  large  fragment  is  sepa- 
rated from  the  top  of  a  berg  and  falls  into  the  sea. 
Our  brig  has  often  passed  under  projections  of  icebergs 
which  extended  a  hundred  feet  beyond  the  base  line, 
at  an  elevation  far  above  our  mast-heads ;  and  in  somle 
cases  it  is  necessary  to  go  under  these  dangerous  pent- 
houses, when  the  ^Mead,"  or  lane  of  open  water  hap- 
pens to  pass  close  to  the  berg.  ^i^V"  v  ? 

On  the  occasion  I  am  now  speaking  of,  we  adopted 
an  expedient  which  had  been  succc<isful  once  before : 
steering  our  course  directly  for  an  iceberg,  and  send- 
ing out  a  boat  to  fasten  an  ice- anchor  in  the  side  of  the 
floating  mountain.  The  berg,  having  thus  been  made 
to  take  us  in  tow,  pulled  us  along  briskly,  and  besides 
kept  an  open  track  for  us^  by  pushing  aside  the  smaller 
masses  of  ice  which  obstructed  our  path.  Neverthe- 
less we  were  obliged  to  keep  close  in  the  rear  of  the 
berg  which  was  dragging  us,  because  the  track  which 
it  opened  was  soon  closed  again,  by  the  drifting  ice 


n« 


Li^M 


,^v 


18 


oodfbey's  nabbattve  of  the 


from  each  side.  Other  bergs  likewise  pressed  in  upon 
us  so  closely,  that  one  of  our  boats  would  have  been 
stove,  had  we  not  removed  it  from  the  davits.  At  one 
time  we  were  between  two  bergs,  whose  perpendicular 
walls  were  higher  than  our  masts,  and  they  were  ap- 
proaching each  other  so  rapidly,  that  we  deemed  it 
almost  impossible  to  escape  before  they  should  come 
together.  In  fact,  the  stern  of  the  Advance  was  | 
scarcely  clear  of  them,  when  they  came  in  contact  with 
a  frightful  crash,  breaking  and  grinding  oflf  huge  frag- 
ments, and  half  demolishing  each  other  by  the  force  of 
the  encounter. 

Nothing  but  the  daring  expedient  of  attaching  our 
brig  to  an  iceberg,  could  have  saved  us  from  total 
destruction.  Supposing  that  the  Advanoe  had  been 
crushed  between  those  two  icebergs,  which  came  in 
such  formidable  collision  with  each  other,  is  it  not  pro- 
bable that,  like  *'  the  cloud-capt  towers,  the  gorgeous 
palaces,"  &c.,  we  would  have  left  "not  a  wreck  be- 
hind ?"  Every  spar,  plank,  and  piece  of  timber,  and 
every  man  on  board  would  have  been  overwhelmed  in 
the  icy  ruins ;  and  every  vestige  of  the  brig  and  its 
inhabitants  would,  in  all  likelihood,  have  been  hidden 
forever  under  the  frozen  surface  of  Smith's  Sound. 
The  broken  ice  which  swallowed  us  up  would  soon  have 
become  reconsolidated,  and  humane  adventurers 
coming  in  search  of  us,  might  have  passed  over  our 
mortal  remains,  without  suspecting  that  we  were  em- 
tombed  in  an  icy  sepulchre  below.  And  is  it  very  un- 
likely that  Captain  Franklin  and  his  company  may  have 


,"•/* 


'■'W 


GRINNELL  EXPLOBING  EXPEDITTON. 


Y9 


met  Tirith  a  similar  accident,  and  that  they  are  now 
awaiting  the  call  of  the  last  trumpet  in  a  crystal  mau< 
soieum,  the  locality  of  which  will  never  be  known  to 
mortal  man  ? 

The  storm  which  we  experienced  in  Smith's  Sound 
was  sufficient  to  have  annihilated  forty  ships  ;  and  our 
escape  was  a  mere  fortuitous  event,  or  a  providential 
deliverance,  which  would  not  be  likely  to  occur  again 
in  the  same  circumstances ;  for  chance  or  Providence 
seldom  favors  those  who  expose  themselves  to  unneces- 
lary  hazards  for  unattainable  objects. 


.^M^u. 


.^0 


^W^'' 


>^m^ 


r^. 


GODFREY  8HELTERING  HIMSELF  DURING  A  HEAVY 

SNOW  STORM. 


"F*-^,'"    'IVTWrW^T'^Pl^l 


QODHIET'S  NABRATIYE  OF  THB 


ABATEMENT  OP  THE  STORM — BEPAIRTNa  DAMAGES— DR. 
KANE  AND  SEVERAL  OTHER  PERSONS  GET  ADRIFT— 
THE  AUTHOR  GOES  TO  THER  ASSISTANCE — A  GOLDEN 
OPPORTUNITY  LOST — THE  COMMANDER'S  PROJECTS— 
A  CONSULTATION  OP  THB  WHOLE  BRIG'S  COMPA- 
NY—THE AUTHOR  MAKES  A  SPEECH  WHICH  ASTON- 
ISHES  AND  DISPLEASES  THE  OFFICERS— HE  IS  SUS- 
PECTED OP  A  MUTINOUS  DISPOSITION. 


During  the  terrific  scene  which  I  have  attempted  to 
,  describe  in  the  last  chapter,  several  of  our  crew  were 
exposed  to  still  greater  dangers  than  those    which 
i^hreatened  the  whole  of  the  brig's  companj.     When- 
ever the  vessel  came  in  coUmion  with  the  lacd-ice,  somo 
of  us  were  sent  out  with  lines  and  ice-anohors,  with  the 
hop  J  of  making  the  brig  fast.    In  the  performance  of 
this  duty,  we  were  obliged  to  get  out  on  the  icy  plat- 
dform,  and  sometimes  on  movable  cakes  or  lumps  of  ice, 
i.  which  heaved  and  tossed  with  tho  motion  of  the  sea, 
making  it  almost  impossible  for  us  to  maintain  our  foot- 
ing;  and  a  slip,  in  such  circumstances,  might  have  been 
fatal.     Bonsall  slipped  between  two  fragments  and  nar- 
rowly escaped  a  "  nip."    Myself  and  three  others  got 


iiitfar^TT.tf^ifaitiftfiiiyii;^iii  \'ffe-ri  ■  ■ 


--■•-' -^*-*-  ^liifiiil(i1i-nrfriil>[liril 


ORINNELL  BXFLOBINO    EXPEDITION. 


81 


AMAGES— DR. 
3ET  ADRIFT— 
B — A  GOLDEN 
S  PROJECTS— 
jrig's  COMPA- 
WHIOH  ASTON- 
l—HB  IS    BTJS- 


^ 


p.-- 7 


3  attempted  to  i 
our  crew  "were 
I  those    which 
pany.     When- 
lai?d-ice,  somo 
Lchors,  with  the 
performance  of 
n  the  icy  plat- 
)r  lumps  of  ice, 
iott  of  the  sea, 
lintain  our  foot- 
Qight  have  been  ■ 
'ments  and  nar- 
iree  others  gotj 


adrift  on  an  ice-oake,  and  were  compelled  to  weather 
the  storm  in  this  singular  barque,  as  all  our  efforts  to 
get  on  board  of  the  brig  were  fruitless. 

As  a  fimale  to  this  storm-scene,  T  rnay  mention  that 
the  Advance  was  driven,  peak  foremost,  on  an  inclined 
plane  of  ice,  which  formed  the  side  of  a  stationary  berg. 
Here,  with  the  rising  and  falling  of  the  waves,  she 
alternately  ascended  the  plane,  falling  on  her  beam-ends, 
and  slipped  back  again  to  the  water,  assuming  her 
right  position.  All  this  time  masses  of  ice  were  thrown 
against  her  side,  by  the  force  of  the  waves,  with  a  con- 
cussion which  made  her  timbers  creak,  and  convinced 
every  man  on  board  that  she  could  not  stand  this  racket 
for  half  an  hour.  But  our  anti-drowning  destiny  pre- 
vailed ;  the  wind  gradually  subsided,  and  the  violence 
of  the  waves  perceptibly  abated.  While  the  brig  was 
performing  her  maneuvers  on  the  sloping  side  of  the 
berg,  I  and  my  three  companions  who  had  been  adrift 
on  an  ice-cake,  were  carried  by  the  current  to  another 
part  of  the  same  inclined  plene  ;  which,  with  much  hard 
scrambling,  we  ascended,  and  embracing  the  opportu- 
nity when  the  brig  was  thrown  on  her  side,  we  con- 
trived to  get  aboard.  /      v^J^ 

After  the  agitation  of  the  waters  had  ceased  and  W^ 
had  taken  some  rest  and  refreshment,  efforts  were 
made  to  place  the  brig  in  a  safer  situation.  The  car- 
penter made  some  necessary  repairs,  as  the  hull  of  the 
vessel  had  been  considerably  damaged  in  her  late  strug- 
igle.  We  then  recommenced  the  labor  of  warping,  and 
I  thus  managed  to  proceed  northward,  along  the  edge  of 


"^  ■■'•"■  "7  c^i*  ^J-W"!]  piP"'' 


82 


QODniEY^S  NABBATIYl  OF  THS 


the  land-ioe,  five  or  six  miles.  Dr.  Kane,  Mr.  Brooks, 
and  two  of  the  seameo,  in  the  mean  time,  took  a  boat 
and  went  out  to  make  explorations,  leaving  the  brig 
under  the  command  of  Mr.  Ohlsen,  the  carpenter. 
Thej  were  obliged  to  leave  their  boat,  which  became 
entangled  among  8om«  f  ating  ice ;  and  the  captain  and 
his  companions  came  back  on  a  floe  which  the  wind  vita 
drivii>g  awaj  from  the  land-ice,  to  which  the  brig  at 
this  time  was  moored.  I  took  a  boat,  and  rowed  bard 
after  the  floe,  which  seemed  disposed  to  abduct  our 
;  Tumander  and  the  gentlemen  who  were  with  him. 
The  v'*  cake,  impelled  by  the  tide,  bore  them  away  so 
rapidly  t|iat  I  almost  despaired  of  being  able  to  over- 
take them  ;  but,  by  dint  of  great  exertion,  I  succeeded 
in  sculling  the  boat  up  against  the  floe  and  holding 
it  there  until  they  all  got  on  board.  Had  this  floe 
taken  the  Doctor  ofi^,  I  think  it  likely  that  he  would 
have  reached  "  the  open  polar  sea"  discovered  by  Mr. 
Morton,  or  some  other  distant  locality,  from  which  it 
would  have  been  no  easy  matter  to  return. 

Before  Dr.  Kane  left  the  brig,  he  had  given  orders 
to  have  every  thing  ready  for  sailing,  and  it  was  gen- 
erally supposed  on  board  that  he  intended  to  move 
homeward  ;  as  he  must  have  been  satisfied  by  this  time 
that  it  was  utterly  impossible  to  ascend  Smith's  Sound 
much  further  in  such  a  vessel  as  the  Advance.  Such  a 
feat  could  be  accomplished  only  by  a  steam  propeller, 
built  or  fitted  up  expressly  for  the  purpose.  Had  we 
sailed  immediately,  the  Advance  might  have  been 
brought  out  of  the  Sound,  for  strong  south-eastern 


. 'Pi---  -■>  .-■..-'>- w.-f^.'....aw„ji,-A 


OBINNXLL  EXFLOUNO  EXPIDITION. 


88 


winds  had  opened  the  ice  saffioientlj  for  the  purpose. 
Bat  Dr.  Kane,  at  this  time,  appears  to  have  turned  his 
attention  to  land  travel ;  and  with  this  object  in  view, 
he  concluded  to  place  the  brig  in  some  convenient  har- 
bor, which  might  serve  as  a  starting  point  for  the  sledgo 
parties  which  he  intended  to  send  out  further  to  the  North. 
Petersen,  the  Danish  interpreter,  and  Wilson  were  sent 
out  to  look  for  some  eligible  locality  in  which  the  brig 
might  pass  the  winter.  At  the  expiration  of  eight-and- 
forty  hours  they  returned  without  having  discovered 
any  quarters  which  might  answer  our  purpose.  They 
reported  that  they  had  seen  tracks  of  bears  and  rein- 
deer, and  they  had  found  a  skull,  which  appeared  to 
have  belonged  to  a  musk-ox  ;  but  while  on  this  excur- 
sion they  had  met  with  no  living  animals  except  a  few 
seals  ■'  '•*-''^'''-i-.'r '■'i»"i'' ''•'''.■'■ '"  ■  'v-iv  -■,'."••.  <"'■'_.•    •  --i,j..,i  .it!».'--i'?  .•(>»; 

We  now  held  a  grand  consultation,  in  which  all  hands 
on  board  (common  sailors  not  excepted),  were  invited 
to  take  a  part ;  the  object  being  to  decide  what  course 
it  was  most  expedient  for  us  to  pursue.  Some  of  our 
fellows  were  more  or  less  home-sick,  and  I  dare  say  they 
would  have  given  their  vote  for  an  immediate  return  to 
the  United  States,  promising  themselves  more  comfort 
in  the  arms  of  their  wives  and  doxies  than  in  the  chill- 
ing embraces  of  the  polar  seas.  But  our  more  expe- 
rienced seamen  had  sense  enough  to  know  that  they 
were  expected  to  coincide  in  opinion  with  the  officers ; 
they  were  therefore  very  backward  about  expressing 
any  views  until  they  should  learn  what  might  be  the 
prevailing  sentiment  on  the  quarter-deck.     I,  being  but 


.  -jt.^...^.  atii. 


84 


r  OODFBET'S  NABBATZYE  01  THK 


a  *' green-horn/'  comparatively  speaking,  was  not  con- 
versant  with  the  usages  and  etiquette  of  the  naval  ser- 
vice in  such  cases  as  that  which  now  claimed  our  atten- 
tion ;  and,  when  requested  to  declare  what  appeared  to 
me  to  be  the  proper  line  of  conduct  for  men  in  our 
situation  to  pursue,  I  frankly  stat.d  that  I  could  see 
no  use  in  proceeding  any  further  on  the  voyage,  m  *t 
*  "  As  for  Captain  Franklin,"  said  I,  "  no  doubt  he  is 
safe  in  heaven,  if  he  was  as  brave  a  commander  and  as 
good  a  man  as  the  books  and  newspapers  represent  him ; 
and  if  we  desire  to  follow  him  to  that  celestial  harbor,  we 
can  do  so  by  a  safer  and  more  agreeable  route  than 
through  the  polar  seas.  Should  we  succeed  in  finding 
his  dead  body,  something  would  be  gained,  I  confess; 
for  public  curiosity  might  then  be  satisfied,  and  no  pre- 
tense would  be  left  for  future  adventurers  to  undertake 
this  dangerous  voyage  on  the  score  of  humanity.  But 
even  these  good  efiects,  such  as  they  are,  would  not 
follow  our  discovery,  unless  we  could  return  and  com- 
municate that  discovery  to  the  world.  Should  we  suc- 
ceed in  reaching  that  point  where  this  veteran  arctic 
navigator  and  his  hardy  companions  could  not  live,  is 
it  not  likely  that  we  should  perish  as  they  did  ?  The 
same  circumstances  which  were  fatal  to  them  might  be 
equally  so  to  us.  And  if  we  should  share  the  fate  of 
our  unfortunate  predecessors,  of  what  avail  would  our 
discoveries  be  to  the  world,  even  if  we  should  ascertain 
how,  when,  and  where  Captain  Franklin  and  his  com- 
pany perished?      -         '  "  -       '- 

*'  As  for  any  other  motives  for  continuing  our  ex 


.-..,-y.,-j 


"TV' 


OUlfNSLL  IZPLORINO  IZPIMTIOir. 


85 


inuing  our  ex 


plorations  in  these  regions,  I  know  of  none  which  can 
be  expected  to  have  much  influence  on  the  subordinate 
members  of  this  expedition.  Granc  o^  that  it  would 
be  a  glorious  achievement  to  plant  the  American  flag 
on  the  pivot  of  the  earth's  axis,  we  who  handle  the 
ropes  would  seldom  be  mentioned  in  connection  with 
that  achievement,  wherefore  the  expectation  of  fame  or 
glory  cannot  be  a  very  great  inducement  with  us.  Be- 
sides, I  can  scarcely  think  it  possible  that  any  man  on 
this  deck,  after  all  the  experience  wo  have  had,  believes 
that  there  is  any  chance  c^'  reaching  the  North  Pole  by 
this  route,  and  with  such  means  of  travel  as  we  possess. 
I  do  not  know  what  other  discoveries  of  importance 
may  be  v'tontemplated ;  but,  until  I  am  better  instructed, 
I  entertain  the  notion  that  the  wisest  course  would  be 
to  turn  the  head  of  the  Advance  southward,  and  either 
to  steer  homeward,  or  to  take  another  route  by  the  way 
of  Lancaster  Sound,  where  we  may  possibly  be  able  to 
make  some  progress;  whereas,  on  the  present  trarV,, 
there  is  no  likelihood  that  the  bi  ?  will  ever  be  con- 
ducted  fifty  miles  further  to  the  North." 

I  had  been  invited  to  express  my  opinion,  and  I  did 
so  with  a  degree  of  freedom  which  seemed  to  give  soije 
offense  to  the  officers.  However,  I  received  only  a 
little  browbeating  to  correct  my  presumption,  and  then 
the  consultation  proceeded,  with  all  due  formality,  until 
it  was  finally  resolved  that  we  should  continue  to  warp 
the  brig  northward  until  we  should  find  a  convenient 
winter  harbor.  " 

I  had  reason  to  suspect  afterward,  that  my  neon- 
8 


86 


OODrRET^S  NARRATTYS  OF  THE 


Biderate  f-peoch  at  this  coi ;  i^lUtion  nvas  regarded  by 
some  of  the  officers  ai  a  sly  demonstration  of  mutiny ; 
and  Captain  Kane  himself  seems  to  have  listened  to 
some  such  suggcations,  as  he  afterward  gave  me  credit, 
on  several  occasions,  for  more  self-will  than  was  be- 
coming in  "  a  man  before  the  mast."  The  Captain 
misconstrued  me  somewhat ;  but  I  do  confess  that  I  was 
not  prepared,  at  all  points,  to  fill  a  station  in  which 
humility  and  submissiven  3ss  were  the  most  desirable 
and  indispensable  qualifications.     :':  >  r  , 


•^ii:i':^y'  ii^'dt  [■; 


METEK  WARNING  GODFRE 


'fh''^^ 


%-4: 


v"5| .."?:?»»    irmi  ■  ■  '-CA^-r  -ii^i'S.!    !><'^r  V 


■■■.;7  'Uh 


/^.i 


y^-, 


rfUINNELL  EXFLOaiNQ  EXPEDITIOl^. 


81 


v^     CHAPTER    IX.  --   . 

THE  ADVANCE   PROCEEDS   FURTHER  NORTHWARD—  TA 
WORK  FOR  THE  SAILORS — THE  AUTHOR  AND  8E\ 
OTHERS  OF  THE  CREW  START  ON  A  SLEDGE  JOURNEY- 
THEY  BREAK     THROUGH     THE    ICE — SEVERE  SUFFER- 
INGS— HYDROPATHY — SLEEPING      IN     ICE — TROUBLE- 
SOME   COOKING — ASCENT   OF    AN   ICEBERG— A  SINGU- 
LAR   FOX-HUNT  —  A     PRIZE     SECURED GREAT    RE- 
JOICINGS— ^ACCOUNT  OF  THE  BLUE  FOX — ITS  VALUABLE 
FUR,  AC.                                    ,       r  V  «      ^ 


According  to  the  resolutioDS  which  had  been  passed 
at  the  meeting  of  officers  and  crew,  on  the  deck  of  the 
Advance,  preparations  were  now  made  to  move  north- 
ward. The  only  way  in  which  the  brig  could  be  urged 
along,  was  by  the  process  called  "  warping,"  which  I 
have  described  in  a  former  chapter.  When  we  were 
happy  enough  to  discover  a  lead,  or  crevice  in  the  ice, 
the  men  were  sent  out  with  a  line  and  ice-anchor  to 
make  an  attachment,  forty  or  fifty  yards  ahead ;  then, 
by  winding  up  the  line  around  the  capstan,  the  brig 
was  dragged  along,  until  she  neared  the  point  where 
the  anchor  was  fixed ;  another  fastening  was  then  made 
further  ahead,  and  so  the  work  proceeded.  This 
''  warping"  is  one  of  the  most  toilsome  operations  that 


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can  bo  imagined,  and  so  tlow  withal,  that  it  produce* 

an  impression  on  the  minds  of  the  men  that  they  aro 
working  to  little  or  no  purpose;  and  this  is  very 
discouraging.  The  height  of  the  ice  above  the  level 
of  the  water  was  from  seveil  to  fifteen  feet ;  the  lead 
or  lane  of  open  water  was  often  so  narrow  that  the 
brig  could  scarcely  squeeze  through;  and  somHimes 
the  floating  ice-cakes  would  press  ob  us  ao  as  to  lift  the 
vessel  completely  out  of  the  water;  then,  as  the  floes 
would  fall  back  again,  the  brig  would  sink  down  again 
to  her  proper  position.  The  hull  of  the  Advance  was 
very  much  racked  and  strained,  of  course,  by  such 
rough  treatment ;  and,  as  staunch  as  she  was,  she  could 
scarcely  have  held  together,  if  she  had  been  subjected 
for  any  length  of  time  to  such  severe  buffeting,  in 
less  than  twenty-four  hours  after  we  had  missed  the 
opportunity  which  had  offered  to  us  for  getting  out  of 
the  Sound,  the  wind  changed,  and  the  floes  set  in  to- 
ward the  shore,  closing  up  every  avenue  of  open  water, 
and  locking  us  up  in  that  dreary  locality,  from  which 
we  had  neglected  to  escape  at  the  right  time. 

It  now  became  necessary  to  cut  a  passage  for  the 
brig,  in  order  to  enable  her  to  proceed  northward  in 
search  of  a  harbor.  All  hands  were  employed  in  saw- 
ing and  splitting  the  ice,  for  the  purpose  of  opening  a 
canal.  By  these  means  we  were  enabled  to  proceed  at 
the  rate  of  about  three  quf»rtcr?  c^f  a  mile  per  day ;  a 
degree  of  Speed  which,  for  "progressive  Yankees," 
was  not  at  all  satisfactory.  In  this  state  of  things,  the 
commander  determined  to  send  out  a  party  to  make 


.m: 


■-#»■:;, 


OBINMZLL  BZPLOBIM0  XXPBDITION. 


observations  and  to  deposit  provisions  at  diflferent 
points,  for  the  use  of  such  exploring  parties  as  might 
afterward  be  sent  from  the  bi  ig.  The  persons  selected 
for  this  duty  were  McGarry,  Bonsall,  Rilej^  Whipple, 
Baker,  and  myself.  We  took  a  sled,  not  to  ride  in, 
observe,  but  as  a  means  of  conveyance  for  our  baggage 
and  provisions,  we  ourselves  being  the  draught  animals. 
Our  provisions  consisted  of  salted  meat  and  ship-bis- 
cuit; our  baggage  comprised  some  wearing  appaiol  and 
sleeping  fixtures,  such  as  buffalo  skins  and  blankets. 

The  temperature  at  this  time  was  30°  below  zero. 
In  order  to  keep  ouroelves  warm,  we  traveled  at  a  pretty 
rapid  pace,  when  the  route  was  favorable ;  but  the  ice 
over  which  we  journeyed  was,  for  the  most  part,  yery 
rough,  having  been  broken  up  repeatedly  by  the  tides 
and  the  collisions  of  the  floes ;  the  fragments,  after- 
ward becoming  cemented  together  by  the  frost,  formed 
^^  hummocks,"  or  hillocks  and  ridges,  varying  in  height 
from  two  to  ten  feet.  The  reader  will  perceive  that 
dragging  a  heavily-laden  sledge  over  such  an  uneven 
surface  was  no  child's  play.  In  some  cases  we 
were  compelled  to  unload  the  sledge  before  we  could 
get  it  over  these  obstructions ;  after  which,  it  was  ne- 
cessary for  us  to  reload. 

In  places  where  the  water  had  recently  been  open, 
new  ice  had  now  begun  to  form.  This  new  ice,  called 
"bay  ice"  by  arctic  sailors,  was  not  yet  strong  enough 
to  bear  the  weight  of  our  sledge.  Of  this  circumstance 
we  were  not  a^rare  until,  while  attempting  to  cross  a 
lead  which  had  lately  been  frozen  over,  the  sledge  broke 
8* 


oodieit's  nabratiyb  of  thb  ^ 


through,  and  all  its  lading,  inclnding  our  bedding,  wm 
completely  saturated.     We  now  had  an  opportunity  to 
test  the  merits  of  the  water-cure  practice,  by  sleeping 
in  wet  blankets;    and,  as  several  of  our  party  had 
touches  of  the  xheumatilm)  the  occasion  was  partion* 
larly  suitable  for  a  trial  of  the  hydropathic  Experiment. 
At  night  we  found  the  buffalo-skin  bags,  which  h«d 
been  provided  for  us  to  sleep  in,  so  completely  frozep 
up,  that  it  was  impossible  to  effect  an  entrance  un^ 
we  had  beaten  the  skins  with  sticks,  to  break  up  tlm 
ice.    My  rheumatic  comrades  were  apprehensive  of 
some  very  unpleasant  consequences  from  sleeping  i| 
these  frofen  sacku ;  but  they  comforted  themselves,  (iit| 
Jack  tars  often  do,  when  in  affliction,)  with  hard  sweaif  j 
ing.     This  exercise  soon  appeared  to  afford  a  genial; 
"warmth  to  their  whole  system,  and  they  sunk  to  reilj 
with  the  tranquillity  of  infant  innocence ;  hftving  un* 
burdened  their  consciences  by  damning  all  arcti'' 
peditions,  and  all  who  ever  took  a  part  in  contv    ., 
,ihem. 

Our  beds  were  spread  on  the  naked  ice,  but  our  out  | 

Mtal  heat,  being  confined  in  the  sacks  which  enclosed 

?  \is,  was  sufficient  to  keep  us  from  freezing.    Althong^ 

our  sleeping  bags  were  generally  damp  when  we  fint 

l^got  into  them,  the  sensation  of  cold  lasted  but  a  short  i 

^ime ;  the  moisture  which  surrounded  as  was  converted  I 

into  a  sort  of  steam,  which  made  us  comfortable  during 

the  remainder  of  the  night,  although  the  external  air  vrai 

colder,  by  many  degrees,  than  it  ever  is  in  our  own 

country.    During  the  excursion  I  am  now  speaking  o(| 


clditig,  ^M 
srtanity  to 
)j  sleeping 
party  hvA 
as  partioo* 
xperiment. 
which  h|i 
tely  frozeii 
ranoe  im# 
reak  up  tin 
iheiKsive  <)f 
sleej^ng  H 
nselves,  (atj 
bard  wwtm  \ 
rd  a  genkj 
lank  to  reill 
having  m- 
11  arcti'-   '- 
I  contv    ..g 


:^^^ 


but  our  Oft  J 
ich  enclosed 
,    Althoni^ 
hen  we  firrt 

but  a  short  | 
as  converted  j 
-t^ble  during  I 
ernalairwM 

in  our  owb| 


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'■^? 


OBINNELL  IXPLOUKQ  IXPBDITION. 


we  passed  six  nights  in  the  manner  I  have  descrihed, 
with  no  shelter  above  us  but  the  sky,  and  with  nothing 
to  protect  us  from  the  cold  but  our  buffalo-skin  sleeping 
bags.  We  fraud  it  most  convenient  to  eat  our  provi- 
sions raw,  for  the  operation  of  cooking  was  tedious  and 
troublesome.  When  we  made  a  fire  for  culinary  pur- 
poses, we  burned  blubber  or  '*  slush ;"  the  last-named 
article  is  the  grease  which  has  been  boiled  out  of  meat, 
and  which  constitutes  a  large  part  of  the  fuel  used  for 
cooking  purposes  by  arctic  travelers.  The  Esquimaux 
do  their  cooking  over  large  lamps  filled  with  the  melted 
blubber  of  the  seal  or  walrus.  On  the  exploring  tour 
which  I  am  now  speaking  of,  we  were  obliged  to  cook 
in  the  open  air ;  and  this  is  no  easy  matter  when  the 
temperature  is  from  40°  to  50°  below  zero,  as  it  was 
all  the  time  we  were  absent  from  the  brig.  Sometimes, 
when  we  thought  our  coffee-pot  had  been  over  the  flame 
long  enough  to  boil,  we  examined  the  water  and  found 
it  frozen!  It  generally  required  two  or  three  hours  to 
make  coffee  or  to  prepare  a  little  broth. 

In  accordance  with  our  ordero,  we  made  a  depot  of 
provisions  about  seventy-five  miles  from  the  place  where 
we  left  the  brig.  To  secure  the  articles  deposited  from 
the  bears,  we  placed  large  stones  around  and  over  them, . 
and  afterward  poured  -vater  on  the  pile,  by  which 
means  the  stones  became  firmly  cemented  together,  as 
the  water  poured  on  them  froze  immediately.  We 
generally  traveled  on  the  frozen  surface  of  the  Sound, 
but  our  deposits  of  provisions  were  made  on  points  or 
projections  of  the  land.    About  twenty-five  miles  from 


OODIBBT'S  NABRATIYI  OF  TBI 


VJ» 


Cape  Frederick,  where  onr  first  eacMf  or  deposit,  wai 
made,  we  came  to  a  tongue  of  land,  where  we  made 
another.  From  this  point  we  still  proceeded  north- 
ward,  crossing  a  great  glacier,  or  river  of  ice,  which 
extends  far  into  the  interior  of  Greenland.  .^«t  ^4^ 

'<^  These  ice  rivers  are  among  the  greatest  curiosities 
in  the  world.  They  have  a  regular  flow,  like  streams 
of  water,  though  their  motion  is  so  slow  that  they  do 
not  advance  more  than  eight  or  ten  inches  in  a  day. 
The  ice  of  the  glacier  is  of  a  mushy  consistency ;  its 
progressive  motion  is  owing  partly  to  the  inclination  of 
tiie  ground  over  which  it  passes  toward  the  coast,  and 
partly  to.  the  pressure  from  behind.  These  glaciers 
tro  the  parents  of  the  icebergs,  as  I  have  mentioned  io 
soother  part  of  this  work.  Thoy  are  instrumental  in 
eonveytng  immense  quantities  of  ice  from  the  interior 
of  Greenland  to  the  sea ;  and,  as  the  stock  seems  to  be 
inexhaustible,  it  is  probable  that  Greenland  itself  la 
^ttle  else  than  a  mass  of  ice.  It  has  furnished  mate- 
rial for  icebergs,  perhaps,  ever  since  the  world  vita 
created,  and  will  continue  to  stock  the  market  with  the 
game  commodity  as  long  as  Nature's  laboratory  shall 
oontinue  in  operationw^.^^i^^,.^,.^,is^-,^  -m-  ? 

After  crossing  two  glaciers,  we  proceeded  about 
eighty  miles  further  north  before  we  arrived  at  another 
point  of  land  suitable  for  making  a  provision  depot 
Here  we  stopped  for  some  hours  to  rest  ourselves  and 
indulge  in  the  rare  luxury  of  a  cooked  dinner.  While 
our  diocolate  was  coming  up  to  the  boiling  point,  I  re- 
quested McGarry,  Bonsall,  and  Biley  to  apcompauy 


OBINNILL  IXVLOUNa  VKPKDinOV. 


95 


me  to  the  sammit  of  a  stationary  iceberg  in  the  neighs 
borhood,  which  was  about  one  hundred  feet  in  height, 
as  I  hoped,  from  that  elevation,  to  lee  if  there  waa  any 
land  ahead  where  another  deposit  of  provisions  might 
be  made.      '^■^'M»fi*i«*>-iA>''«  ; 

The  iceberg  which  we  used  as  our  observatory  on 
this  occasion,  was  one  of  those  which,  after  floating 
about  for  awhile,  run  aground  at  places  where  the  water 
is  too  shallow  to  keep  them  adrift.  This  sort  of  aoei- 
dent  often  happens  to  the  bergs,  and  when  they  beooflne 
fixed  it  is  most  likely  that  they  remain  in  that  prediea- 
men't  for  ages,  or  forever.  Hence  many  immovable 
mountains  of  ice  are  seen  on  the  coast  of  Greenland, 
and  some  of  them  are  of  magnificent  dimensions.  To 
a  person  who  is  nnacquainted  with  the  composition  of 
icebergs,  it  may  appear  strange  that  any  man  should 
be  able  to  climb  to  the  top  of  one  a  hundred  feet  hi^. 
Those  who  have  experienced  the  difficulty  of  walking 
on  the  level  surface  of  a  sleety  pavement,  might  con- 
sider the  ascent  or  descent  of  a  steep  ice-hill,  as  high 
as  a  church  steeple,  as  almost  an  impossibility.  This 
is  not  the  case,  however ;  for  I  have  often  £bund  it  as 
easy  to  walk  up  the  side  of  an  iceberg,  as  to  ascend' a 
grass-covered  acclivity.  A  few  words  will  suflUse  to 
explain  this  matter :  the  reader  has  been  told  that  ice- 
bergs are  produced  by  accumulations  from  the  glaoiers, 
or  rivers  of  ice,  which  disembogue  on  the  coasts  of 
Greenland  and  ol^er  polar  regions.  The  ice  of  these 
glaciers  is  mixed  with  a  large  proportion  of  foreign 
matter,  such  as  earth,  stones,  rocks,  &c.,  and  all  these, 


aODFBIT'B  NABRATIVI  01  THB 


of  course,  become  component  parts  of  the  icebergs, 
imparting  to  them  a  degree  of  roughness  which  makes 
it  possible  to  walk  on  their  surfaces  with  very  little 

difficulty.  ■?fvr:tm-si.-:;,]t(iiui.^'tmn  Pimi^i^j 

j£  When  we  had  reached  the  summit  of  the  berg  to 
which  reference  has  been  made  aboye,  we  were  enabled 
to  look  ahead  to  the  distance  of  fifty  or  sixty  miles; 
and  this  view  satisfied  us  that  it  would  be  useless  to 
proceed  further  in  that  direction.  There  was  no  pro- 
jection of  land  within  that  whole  distance ;  and  the  ice, 
over  which  we  would  have  to  travel,  was  an  endless 
succession  of  hills  and  hummocks,  which  for  sledge 
traveling  made  the  route  altogether  impracticable. 
Besides,  as  we  had  exhausted  the  stock  of  provisions 
which  we  had  been  sent  out  to  deposit  at  different 
points,  the  main  object  of  our  journey  was  at  an  end. 
We  might  have  gone  on  and  discovered  *'  the  open  polar 
sea,"  which  Dr.  Kane  mentions  on  the  authority  of 
Mr.  Morton,  or  we  might  have  discovered  that  no  such 
sea  has  any  objective  existence ;  but  the  truth  is,  we 
wete  heartily  tired  of  our  jaunt,  which  had  been,  from 
beginning  to  end,  a  freezing  purgatory,  that  was  so 
mnch  worse  than  the  fiery  one  we  have  heard  of, 
because  the  former  was  not  likely  to  introduce  us  to  a 
paradise.  Had  we  succeeded  in  rubbing  our  noses 
against  the  north  pole,  our  statement  of  the  fact  might 
have  been  doubted  or  denied  after  we  came  back ;  for 
who  would  be  willing  to  give  a  party  of  common  sailors 
credit  for  an  achievement  which  many  distinguished  cap- 
tains had  attempted  without  any  approximation  to  stto> 


OBINNKLL   BXPLOBIlfO  IXFBDITXON. 


97 


eess  ?  Bat  tpart  from  these  cogent  reasons  for  turning 
back,  it  may  be  mentioned  that  we  had  not  provi- 
sions  enough  to  justify  us  in  trayeling  north- 
ward three  days  longer ;  and  we  had  ascertained  by 
our  look-out  from  the  top  of  the  iceberg  that  we  might 
travel  that  long  without  making  any  discofory  of  the 
least  importance.  •   •  ^^  '*^   .i^t- .w*  i  iiiH4*«.i*».f.  xr 

Living  so  long  on  salt  ^^junk"  and  dry  biscuit  had 
made  us  all  qualmish  at  the  stomach ;  and  we  felt  such 
a  longing  after  fresh  meat  and  vegetables  that  I  belieiPe 
we  should  have  made  up  our  minds  to  travel  further 
toward  the  pole  at  all  haiards,  had  there  been  any 
reason  to  suppose  that  we  should  find  a  butcher's  shop 
and  market-garden  in  that  vicinity.  On  the  morning 
after  we  had  made  up  our  minds  to  return  to  the  brig, 
I  had  just  emerged  from  my  sleeping-bag  and  was  about 
to  draw  on  my  seal-skin  boots,  when  Bonsall,  who  had 
^turned out"  earlier  than  the  others  to  prepare  a  dish  of 
coffee,  startled  us  all  with  the  exclamation,  **  A  fox!  a 
fox  !*'  at  the  same  moment  he  snatched  up  a  gun  and  fired 
at  the  animal,  slightly  wounding  him  in  the  flank.  My 
imagination  immediately  presented  the  delicious  odor 
of  fresh  meat ;  and  although  I  was  but  half  dressed, 
having  no  coat  on  my  back  and  no  boots  on  my  feet,  I 
started  in  pursuit  of  Reynard,  who  was  limping  away 
as  expeditiously  as  his  wound  would  permit.  I  was  so 
eager  in  the  chase  that  I  actually  forgot  that  I  wai 
running  over  the  ice  in  my  stocking  feet.  After  a  race 
of  more  than  a  mile  in  length,  I  overtook  the  wounded 
fox  and  caught  him  by  the  brush,  but  he  turned  hia 


•8 


00E«Bir'8  HABSATin  OF  TBI 


head  and  bit  my  fingers  so  sererelj  thtt  I  wm  obliged 
to  relinquish  m j  grup  of  his  Uil ;  howefer,  it  wm  ao 
pMrt  of  mj  design  to  give  him  up,  as  I  was  alrea^ 
foastingf  in  imagination,  on  his  carcass.  I  kicked  hm 
sereral  times  in  rapid  soccession  with  my  unbooted  foet*; 
till,  at  last,  he  caught  the  toe  of  my  stocking  in  Up 
month  and  held  on  with  invincible  resolution.  I  eB> 
deavored  to  disengage  my  foot,  but  the  fox  still  msii^ 
tained  his  hold  and  finally  made  a  priie  of  my  stockiif 
by  pulling  it  off,  leaving  my  naked  right  foot  in  imoi^ 
diato  contact  with  the  ice.  I  now  became  desperati^ 
resolving  to  put  an  end  to  the  contest  by  one  masterlf 
movement,  Thus  heroically  determined,  I  threw  my- 
self on  the  body  of  my  antagonist,  clasped  him  in  njf 
arms,  and  gave  him  a  squeeie  which  he  was  not  cunning 
enough  to  construe  as  an  evidence  of  my  affection ;  far 
while  I  lifted  him  up  and  pressed  him  to  my  bosom,  1m 
dropped  the  stocking  from  his  mouth  and  made  a  snsp 
.at>ny  nose,  which  would  certainly  have  demolished  that 
feature  if  it  had  taken  effect,  fiat  I  had  tho  advao* 
tage  of  him  now,  and  soon  placed  him  on  my  shoulder 
in  a  position  which  prevented  him  from  using  his  teeth 
to  the  detriment  of  my  person.  With  as  much  joy  and 
triumph  as  Wellington  must  have  folt  after  the  battle 
of  Waterloo,  I  now  returned  to  my  companions,  who 
raised  a  shout  of  congratulation  at  ray  approach.  Tliere 
was  but  one  drawback  on  my  perfect  felicity :  the  toei 
of  my  naked  foot  were  severely  frost-bitten  ;  but  until 
my  comrades  called  my  attention  to  the  subject,  I 
really  was  not  aware  that  1  was  walking  barefoot  over 


.  »^a^£)Ju.-u.A«.jCd2.U*   t 


•  obligtd 

t  WM  M 

oked  kia 
»t6d  fo«l'; 
ig  in  U| 
D.    lea* 

'  ftodkiig 
in  ima^ 
lesperatt) 

brew  m^ 
im  in  mj 
it  canning 
ttion;  for 
bosom,  1m 
de  a  snsp 
ishcd  thit 
ho  advao* 
r  shoulder 

his  teeth 
h  joy  and 
(he  battle 
lions,  vbo 
lb.  There 
:  the  toei 

but  until 
subject,  I 
efoot  over 


■  .-,>*   i  ^ 


C  'fejt., 


■Js— -■-■'"-- 


-=*•'»■  -   -■(■ 


^i>^mmmm'  ^m^mmmt<  tu:. •■. ^y»^; 


i^^wfc 


::4^:^::-iifi-iM]^..' 


.km^^''M-'-$. 


'}!^.;0sii*'i   ^.i- 


'S*r''.:-:.v*.i.,  ..^iSfc^ilVft.S'.: 


Wfi  ii*^-.„;'&yi>ll53its  Ji.,C!»tv-*^f^'^^'*>-;  ?J*; 


-IS!   fe 


".(■.-^fclk'Srli 


i^.'-^*^ 


■;'?^S?t%';^s.';^. 


•l--«-l 


l^.'..-^  % 


et<'4. ■,);,. 


ij. 


.'■J.  ■.->,. 


'^tfVS-ii 


r^/t^i 


':  § 


'     .     -   -     -    ■  n 


i\'^:'-'r'^'..'    f  \f:'t-'  ■■*'■' 


^■v^...^.i?.-,  .■,^(?-^i^*^i,l.'^  r*';t'j^U.. 


r    '             'Tl 

■       .. 

,      .-  ■.  • 

..  y,   ,-   ,. 

( 

^m      m'^'- 

irr-^:- 

■■■yr-;;'-" 

;     ( 

■■■;■■-«, -rttrrr;':'' 

-.;.*!;-^JTiflE»r*J^"'-- 

^T,-tjr;^-».  ;- 

■  i  ^-- 

■-'•frr-i.ijT  ^-;T'^r-*.V'W*'tff'--"-:--''.;"V^i-; 


ORINNELL  EXPLORING   EXPEDITION. 


101 


,.,-     :r^-f^-!it 


s:^ 


iS='t.$ 


the  polar  ice.  My  mental  excitement  caused  me  to 
overlook  my  bodily  sufTering.  I  bad  secured  a  prize 
vhich  made  all  of  our  party  inexpressibly  happy ;  and, 
as  a  matter  of  course,  I  was  the  happiest  one  of  the 
party.  By  the  way,  I  fear  it  will  be  difficult  to  make 
the  reader  comprehend  how  the  capture  of  a  fox  could 
produce  bo  much  happiness.  No  man  can  sympathise 
T?ith  our  pleasurable  feelings  on  this  occasion  unless 
he  has  experienced  that  indescribable  and  almost  insup- 
portable  craving  after  a  change  of  diet  which  is  felt  by 
mariners  who  have  subsisted  for  many  months  on  those 
nauseous  sea-messes  which,  by  constant  repetition, 
hecome  as  displeasing  to  the  palate  as  they  are  preju- 
dicial to^  health.  Nature,  in  her  own  defense,  produces 
a  strong  feeling  of  repugnance  to  those  salted  meats 
ivhich  are  used  on  shipboard,  when  the  use  of  these 
becomes  deleterious,  by  inducing  that  horrid  disease 
called  scurvy,  by  which  vessels  which  make  long  voy- 
ages are  sometimes  almost  depopulated. 

The  fox  we  had  caught  belonged  to  a  variety  which, 
I  believe,  is  peculiar  to  Northern  climes,  viz :  the 
blue  fox.  The  flesh  is  very  savory ;  at  least,  it  appeared 
so  to  us,  after  our  long  abstinence  from  fresh  meat. 
The  fur  of  this  variety  is  very  fine  and  valuable ;  a 
single  skin  being  worth  at  least  twenty  dollars. 


9* 


■r'/?4'^. 


•iW'^^^'^fe*-;'  /4fe':t*^S5?-- 


I  *i>. 


"^■%' 


i^a*?*- 


■.m 


102 


eODIKKT'B  NAftEAUVE  OV  THl 


p ^im^^mk-    CHAPTER  X    '"^^  '^*'^'' " *^"'5^' 


.-.Ji), 


WHAT  OUR  SLBDaE  PARTY  DISOOVBRED — NO  OPEN  POLAB 
SEA — ALARMING  CONDITION  OF  THE  TRAVELERS — ^AN 
AUDACIOUS  POX — ^THB  AUTHOR'S  POWER  OP  ENDUR- 
ANCE — SEVERAL  OF  HIS  COMPANIONS  IN  DESPAIR— 
THEY  ARE  IN  DANGER  OF  FREEZING  TO  DEATH— 
THEIR  INCLINATION  TO  00  TO  SLEEP — SUFFERING 
MAKE";  THEM  INSANE — PROVISIONS  EXHAUSTEIH- 
MIRACULOUS  PRESERVATION.'^''*'^--'    .*?^  ^^>  i^^v.-^?<£ 


i^j*^*? 


■iH. -^ii^^.d  .<;. 


i«;-''"'^i-La^':-„5S»'--« 


On  this  journey,  the  particulars  of  whicli  were  nar- 
rated in  the  preceding  chapter,  we  must  have  traveled 
nearly  two  hundred  miles  further  north  than  our  brig 
ever  proceeded.  I  judge  that  we  went  beyond  the  82d 
degree  N.  latitude.  In  the  accomplishment  of  this 
task,  we  endured  hardships  which  I  have  scarcely  at- 
tempted  to  describe,  because  no  description  could  afford 
any  idea  of  the  reality ;  and  yet  the  journey  was  withoat 
any  results  of  1%  satisfactory  nature.  Say  that  we 
traveled  one  hundred  and  seventy-five  miles,  and  saw 
fifty  miles  further  from  the  top  of  the  iceberg ;  this 
would  make  the  whole  extent  of  our  exploration  two 
hundred  and  twenty-five  miles ;  and  in  the  whole  of 
that  space,  we  made  no  discovery  of  any  importance  to 
science  or  humanity.     We  saw  nothing,  in  fact,  but  a 


OBINNSLL  XXPLOBINn        J«>XSION. 


108 


wilderness  of  ice  and  barren  rock^,  without  any  appear- 
ance of  vegetable  life ;  unless  an  occasional  patch  of 
moss,  attached  to  a  rock,  deserves  to  be  considered  as 
an  exception.  And  yet  I  think  we  must  have  seen 
beyond  that  point  which  Mr.  Sonntag,  in  his  map, 
makes  the  locality  of  the  Polar  Sea  discovered  by  Mr. 
Morton.  I  believe  my  eyes  are  as  good  as  those  of 
Mr.  Morton,  and  I  honestly  confess  that  I  saw  nothing 
of  the  kind.  The  ice  became  more  compact  as  we  ad 
vanced,  and  I  saw  nothing  to  make  me  8U8peet  that 

there  was  open  water  ahead.  f«**^j?^sri*'f'*5*ssi.'-~M!'*..-i;#?'^  ■■ 

When  we  started  on  our  journey  back  to  the  brig, 
my  companions  were  almost  in  a  disabled  condition. 
Several  of  them  were  afflicted  with  snow-blindness,  all 
were  more  or  less  frost-bitten^  and  they  were  so  enfee^ 
bled  by  the  benumbing  influences  of  the  atmosphere, 
that  they  staggered  like  persons  intoxicated.  My  iron 
constitution,^  (for  which  God  be  thanked,)  made  me 
almost  insensible  to  the  cold,  and  the  consequences 
thereof  affected  me  in  &  very  slight  degree.  During 
the  whole  time  of  my  sojournment  in  the  arctic  regionSi 
I  never  experienced  any*  inconvenience  from  snow- 
blindness,  rheumatism,  catarrh,  or  any  other  disease 
incidental  to  the  climate.  And  yet  none  of  my  com- 
panions of  the  voyage  can  deny  that  I  was  more  ex- 
posed to  the  rude  breath  of  the  North,  than  any  other 
man  of  the  brig's  company ;  for  I  was  always  in  good 
health  and  ready  for  duty,  whereas  not  another  man 
on  board  was  prepared,  at  all  times,  for  active  service. 
The  fox  X  had  caught  was  almost  totally  consumed 


-.^liaaLH. 


■V!S*#-- 


•■:-,;  ■'^'^v-" 


lOi 


aODntET'8  NABRATIYE  OF  THB 


at  a  single  meal  by  my  comrades  and  myself.  Our 
provisions  had  become  very  scarce ;  but  we  determined 
to  suffer  for  want  almost  to  the  last  extremity,  rather 
than  disturb  the  deposits  of  provisions  we  had  made 
on  our  outward  journey.  While  we  were  making  pre* 
parations  to  return,  all  my  comrades,  except  Whipple, 
appeared  to  be  much  dispirited.  The  arctic  breezes, 
operating  like  the  *^  chill  penury,"  which  the  poet  Gray 
Bpeaks  of,  seemed  to  have  repressed  their  noble  rage, 
and  frozen  the  genial  current  of  their  souls;  for, 
Whipple  excepted,  they  had  no  longer  vital  energy 
enough  to  comfort  and  sustain  themselves  by  hard 
swearing.  Whipple,  whose  temper  was  all  pepper  and 
mustard,  would  occasionally  pause  in  his  labor,  and 
thrashing  his  arm  across  his  breast  to  restore  warmth 
and  animation  to  his  system,  would  pour  forth  a  torrent 
of  maledictions,  with  so  many  allusions  to  the  fiery  lake 
«nd  other  Tartarean  scenery,  that  I  could  almost 
imagine  at  such  times  that  we  had  suddenly  been  trans- 
ported to  a  much  warmer  climate.  These  outbursts 
evidently  revived  the  drooping  spirits  of  our  whole 
party. 

On  the  second  day  after  we  began  to  retrace  onr 
steps,  a  blue  fox  had  the  audacity  to  join  our  company. 
He  came  trotting  along  by  the  side  of  the  sledge  with 
perfect  composure;  but  although  he  was  evidently  un- 
acquainted with  man,  his  tameness  was  not  shocking 
to  me.  On  the  contrary,  I  was  delighted  with  his 
familiar  and  confiding  disposition,  and  it  was  really 
with  great  reluctance  that  I  prepared  to  give  him  ao 


•;'*«*-'r 


GinraiLL  vauaKOfQ  ixphdition. 


m 


illustration  of  human  treachery  and  harharitj,  hj  pre- 
senting my  rifle j  and  planting  a  bullet  in  his  unsuspi- 
cious breast.  The  flesh  of  this  victim  of  misplaced 
confidence  afforded  us  another  grateful  repast,  and 
contributed,  in  a  high  degree,  to  invigorate  and  re- 
animate our  poor  fellows,  who  could  scarcely  be  per- 
suaded to  continue  their  inarch.  Several  of  the  party 
were  ready,  every  moment,  to  throw  themselves  on  the 
ice  and  take  their  last  sleep  in  life,  preliminary  to  that 
sleep  "  which  knows  no  waking."  The  effect  of  intense 
cold  is  sometimes  to  make  men  perfectly  reckless  of  alt 
consequences,  when  their  half  congealed  blood  induces 
that  lethargic  feeling  which,  if  not  resisted,  is  sure  to 
be  fatal.  When  several  persons  are  traveling  together 
in  the  polar  regions,  it  often  requires  the  constant  ex- 
ertions of  some  of  the  party  to  keep  others  from  falling 
into  that  sleep  which  is  more  than  '*the  image  of 
death" — ^for  it  is  death  itself! 

Whipple  and  I,  being  more  alive  than  tne  rest  of  our 
party,  wore  obliged  to  undertake  the  responsible  duty 
of  keeping  the  others  in  motion ;  and,  in  order  to  "  stir 
them  up,"  we  were  obliged  to  administer  some  pretty 
sound  cuffs  and  many  a  hard  shake,  which  barely  suf- 
ficed, however,  to  make  them  move  on  mechanically, 
like  people  who  had  lost  all  power  of  volition.  In  ad- 
dition to  all  the  trouble  of  taking  care  of  our  comrades, 
Whipple  and  I  were  compelled  to  draw  the  sledge,  and 
to  perform  all  other  labors  which  had  hitherto  been 
distributed  among  the  whole  party.  As  soon  as  we 
came  to  a  convenient  place,  we  made  an  excavation  in 


106 


OODIBIT'S  NABBATiVl  Of  WM 


>* 
^.•i*^ 


a  deep  snow  drift,  to  afford  onr  company  some  shelter 
from  the  wind,  which  waa  now  blowing  with  a  keenneu 
that  seemed  to  cut  like  a  razor.  We  then  put  our  sick 
comrades  in  their  sleeping  sacks,  to  make  them  as 
comfortable  as  possible,  and  enable  them  to  enjoy  a  re- 
freshing nap  without  the  risk  of  freezing ;  and,  after 
thus  disposing  of  them  for  the  present,  we  proceeded 
to  kindle  a  fire  of  pork*fat  and  blubber,  in  order  to 
prepare  a  warm  supper  for  our  invalids  by  the  time 
they  should  wake  up.  We  cut  up  the  fox  which  I  had 
shot  in  the  morning,  and  which  by  this  time  was  frozen, 
and  as  stiff  and  hard  as  a  piece  of  wood.  In  about 
three  hours  we  succeeded  in  making  a  fine  kettle  of 
fox-broth,  in  which  I  crumbled  a  suitable  quantity  of 
ship  biscuit,  and  then  awakened  my  comrades  and  called 
them  to  partake  of  the  mess.  The  refreshing  slumber 
they  had  enjoyed,  and  the  good  warm  supper,  made  a 
strange  revulsion  in  cueir  feelings,  and  a  corresponding 
ehange  in  their  behavior.  They  had  completely  re- 
covered from  their  late  torpor,  and  now  became  excited 
to  a  degree  which  resembled  intoxication  or  insanity. 
They  sang  scraps  of  old  songs,  uttered  wild  exclama- 
tions, and  gesticulated  violently ;  but  as  their  excite- 
ment appeared  to  be  pleasurable,  we  made  no  attempt 
to  check  it.  However,  there  was  something  haggard 
and  ghastly  in  their  mirth  which  shocked  me.  It  was 
the  first  time  that  I  had  ever  seen  exposure  to  extreme 
cold  operate  in  this  way ;  but,  on  many  subsequent  oc- 
casions, I  saw  temporary  madness  induced  by  this  cause. 
The  effect  seems  to  proceed  from  a  strong  effort  of  &»• 


"f*- 


'^?.f^?r-'^7^f^^'' 


■«(!"'TPW.'p.^f-"'*.'WW  " 


masvELL  mxrumnnQ  BzirannoN. 


161 


118  cause. 


tare  to  prodoee  a  roaotion  in  the  ph jsiotl  system  when 
the  vital  energies  thereof  haye  been  nearly  prostrated. 
During  the  remainder  of  our  journey,  two-thirds  of  the 
party  were  in  a  lunatic  condition ;  bat  their  mental 
aberration  was,  no  doubt,  a  blessing  in  disguise,  as  it 
made  them  more  insensible  of  sofferiag ;  and  this  un- 
natural excitement  was,  perhaps,  the  only  thing  which 
could  have  enabled  them  to  hold  out  until  we  reached 
the  brig.  .-'^  -^  .■■■.^mm^^- 
On.  the  next  evening  we  arrived  at  a  spot  where  we 
found  a  considerable  quantity  of  dried  moss,  which  was 
very  useful  to  us  as  fuel,  as  our  slush  and  blubber  had 
become  rather  scarce.  Our  bread  (ship  biscuit)  was 
likewise  nearly  exhausted,  so  that  we  were  obliged  to 
live  chiefly  on  salt  pork  and  pemmican.  Occasionally, 
as  we  traveled  onward,  we  came  to  places  where  the 
rooks  afforded  a  sort  of  vegetable  substance,  a  species 
of  lichen,  which  we  collected  and  boiled  as  a  substitute 
for  cabbage  or  greens.  The  taste  of  this  article  was 
too  much  like  senna  to  be  palatable. 

As  we  had  nearly  used  up  all  our  provisions,  the 
sled  was  comparatively  light,  a  circumstance  which  af- 
forded us  an  opportunity  to  give  our  feeble  comrades 
an  occasional  ride— one  at  a  time.  The  man  who  rode 
was  placed  in  a  sleeping-bag,  to  prevent  him  from 
freezing;  an  accident  which,  but  for  such  precaution, 
would  be  very  likely  to  happen,  when  the  limbs  of  the 
individual  were  no  longer  in  active  use.  For  several 
days  after  we  started  on  our  return  trip,  I  thought  it 
impossible  to  get  all  our  people  back  to  the  brig  alive. 


"P" 


10» 


x$«Kn>fRiT*B  MABBAnyi  or  thi 


Bat,, thanks  to  God,  we  snoceeded  in  doing  lo  at  last. 
We  had  been  absent  twenty-seven  days.  During  the 
whole  of  that  time  the  thermometer  was  from  80**  to 
40**  below  zero ;  onr  breath  froze  and  formed  icicles  on 
our  beards  and  mustaches ;  the  perspiration  from  our 
bodies  produced  a  moisture  in  our  sleeping-bags  which 
became  ice  as  soon  as  we  left  them,  and  when  we  were 
about  to  *'  turn  in"  for  the  night  we  were  obliged  to 
encase  ourselves  in  these  icy  envelopes.  For  nearly  a 
whole  month  we  never  warmed  ourselves  at  a  fire,  as 
the  fires  we' could  make  were  scarcely  large  enough  to 
boil  our  coffee,  and  the  heat  afforded  by  them  could  not 
be  felt  at  the  distance  of  one  foot.  Had  the  experiment 
not  been  tried,  it  would  be  hard  to  believe  that  any 
human  creature  could  survive  so  much  exposure  to 
cold;  and  when  we  consider  how  often  persons  are 
frozen  to  death  in  our  own  country,  where  the  tempera- 
ture is  seldom  below  zero,  it  is  really  a  very  surprising 
matter  that  arctic  sailors  should  exist  for  weeks  to* 
gether  constantly  exposed  to  an  atmosphere  from  40® 
io  50**  colder  than  it  ever  is  in  the  United  States. 
Had  we  possessed  fifty  lives  each,  we  endured  enough, 
on  this  journey,  to  destroy  them  all,  and  I  am  com- 
pelled to  regard  our  presmvation  as  a  miradt.  >"  - 


'-    --i.;k*.i».,^ 


-m^, 


<i»a%iP''^-- 


QUKKEU*  MXBJOUSia  JXPISISION. 


409 


1    >•  >'    ,  '"9 


■9okm'&f^ii^^k0^--'-' 


■-■'■■  \'^  if  1 


:.^     .».■>■ 


'm^m> 


i^^mi  CRJL^HEB,    XI. 


OUR  SLEDGB  PARTY  KBTURN  TO  THB  BItI<»— WB  PIBD 
THB  ADVANOB  IB  HER  WINTBR  HARBOR — PREPARA- 
TIONS FOR  THB  DARK  SBA80N— STRANOB  FANOT  OP 
THE  DOaa — THBIR  TR0UBLB80MB  BBHAVIOR^WHT 
THET  LIKE  HUHAB.  SOCIBTT — THB  AUTHOR'S  OBJEC- 
TIONS TO  DOGS  AS  DRAUGHT  ANIMALS — ^ANOTHER 
SLEDQB  JOURNEY — HORRORS  OB  THB  AROTIO  WINTER — 
DR.  KANB*S  WARLIKE    DEMONSTRATION  AGAINST  THB 


BATS. 


s  t  ■  JMi  • .  t<i 


a-'  iq_ 


■^mmmi>fM^^'  -'^^^ 


Iff^" 


CoNTRABiT  to  fXL  retiioiiable  etpeotiitfoii,  #d  got  bud: 
to  the  brig  without  the  loss  of  a  single  man,  though 
several  of  our  partj  were  very  ill  for  some  days  after- 
ward. Daring  our  absenee  the  brig  had  been  placed 
in  her  winter  harbor,  about  a  mile  from  the  place 
where  we  had  left  her.  The  spot  was  well  chosen, 
being  a  small  bay,  well  protected  on  the  seaward  side 
by  lofty  rocks,  and  open  to  the  south  and  east  for  the 
reception  of  the  sunshine,  when  we  should  happen  to 
have  any.  The  bay  vras  just  about  large  enough,  ex- 
clusive of  the  space  occupied  by  three  small  islands,  to 
afford  us  commodious  anchorage.  The  soundings  be- 
tween the  islands,  shewed 


|\^^««^  fiA**'^?^         TSS.^aaB>TnaS 


T- 


nSvk.    »wwU«    DoYvu    Aavuvuio.       xu 


m 


I' 


110 


OODntST'S  NABBAItTB  Of  TBI 


short,  it  was  a  snug  resting-plsoe  for  the  Advance;  and 
so  it  ought  to  have  been,  considering  the  length  of  time 
she  was  destined  to  occupy  it — for,  if  the  Esquimaux 
have  not  pulled  her  to  pieces,  she  is  there  yet. 
*  While  we  were  away,  our  comrades  had  been  making 
preparations  for  passing  the  winter  in  this  gloomy  re- 
treat. They  had  built  an  observatory  and  a  provision- 
house  on  one  of  the  little  rooky  islands  near  the  brig. 
They  had  also  made  some  improvements  in  the  internal 
arrangements  of  the  brig,  preparatory  for  the  cold 
weather,  by  building  an  additional  room  between  decks, 
where  the  cooking-stove  was  put  up  and  a  number  of 
bunks  were  fixed  for  the  men  to  sleep  on.  At  the  time 
of  our  return,  Mr.  Ohlsen,  the  carpenter,  assisted  by 
Mr.  Petersen,  was  employed  in  erecting  a  house  on  the 
deck  of  the  brig ;  and  this  afterward  proved  to  be  a 
very  excellent  contrivance,  tending  to  promote  the 
health  and  comfort  of  our  people.  In  order  to  make 
more  room  on  board  for  the  accommodation  of  the 
ofiicers  and  crew,  the  provisions  were  ell  removed  to 
the  store-house  which  had  been  built  on  a  neighboring 
rocky  islet,  to  which  Dr.  Kane  had  given  the  name.of 
Butler  Island.  -■  •■  --•'   ^>-  ^mit^^--M.^.'mm 

-'  On  this  island,  besides  our  other  building  improve- 
ments, the  men  had  built  a  dog-kennel,  large  enough 
to  afford  comfortable  lodgings  for  all  our  canine  family; 
but  the  perverse  brutes  refused  to  occupy  the  habita- 
tion which  had  been  provided  for  them  with  so  much 
trouble.     They  broke  out  of  their  kennel  and  couched 


lfUVlA0CAWO  VI 


ouv  n     ax^as 


%>uv      Ml  I 


n 


,  ¥«* 


m.^- 


COINNXLL  IXPLORIMG  XXPIDITION. 


Hi 


howling  eyerj  night  was  a  terrible  annoyance  to  some 
of  oar  men,  who  entertained  the  saperstitious  notion 
that  such  nocturnal  music  is  ominous  of  ilMuok.  The 
preference  shown  by  the  Esquimaux  dogs  for  sleeping 
on  the  snow  near  the  brig,  rather  than  in  the  hut  on 
the  island,  was  considered  by  Dr.  Kane  as  a  somewhat 
affecting  incident,  proving  that  these  quadrupeds  have 
an  instinctive  attachment  to  human  society.  I  regarded 
the  circumstance  in  a  different  light :  these  dogs  had 
been  accustomed,  from  their  early  puppyhood,  to  sleep 
on  the  snow  near  the  huts  of  their  Esquimaux  masters, 
and  as  this  mode  of  lodging  had  become  habitual  to 
them,  they  could  not  be  satisfied  with  any  other.  I 
consider  it  very  derogatory  to  the  canine  character,  to 
:uppose  that  dogs  have  any  natural  inclination  for 
human  society.  In  his  wild  state,  the  dog  is  quite  free 
from  any  weakness  of  that  kind,  and  it  requires  a  great 
deal  of  discipline  or  training  to  make  him  endure  the 
company  of  our  species.  The  Esquimaux  dogs  are  only 
in  a  half-reclaimed  condition,  and  I  have  much  reason 
to  believe  that  they  would  cut  the  acquaintance  of 
mankind  altogether,  if  they  could  maintain  themselves 
without  human  assistance.  While  we  retained  some 
of  them  in  our  service,  they  frequently  ran  away,  two 
or  three  at  a  time,  and  remained  abroad  until  they  were 
nearly  starved,  when  they  would  come  back  with  evi- 
dent reluctance  and  a  sullenness  of  deportment,  which 
seemed  to  say,  "  We  Jo  not  like  your  company,  you 
two-legged  rascals,  but  necessity  compels  us  to  associate 
with  you  a  little  while  longer*"^?  -^T=^¥>t-^wTf?r4r^i^ 


>«• 


H2 


OOP^EY'b  NABRATTVl  Of  THl 


Thore  was  not  a  great  deal  of  love  lost,  (as  the  Mjring 
is,)  b'^'ween  oar  men  and  the  dogs.  Among  our  crew  they 
were  » cry  unpopular,  and  although  their  lerviceB  were 
BupposeJ  '^0  he  indispensahle,  the  animals  could  scarcely 
he  tolerated,  ub  they  made  themselves  as  trouhlesome 
as  possible  and  their  consumption  of  food  was  enormous. 
On  our  sledge  journeys  wo  were  often  obliged  to  half 
starve  ourselves  in  order  to  afford  our  dogs  the  neces* 
sary  supply  of  provisions,  without  which  they  would  be 
unable  to  perform  their  work.  It  is  a  most  unfor* 
tunate  circumstance  of  arctic  travel,  that  dog- 
sledging  is  the  only  practicable  means  of  conveyance 
or  transportation  in  the  polar  regions.  This  circum- 
stance  necessarily  makes  all  journeys  by  land  or  over 
the  ice  of  brief  duration ;  as  dogs  cannot  travel  many 
days  in  succession  without  **  breaking  down ;"  and  it  is 
impossible  for  an  exploring  party  to  carry  enough  pro- 
visions to  maintain  these  voracious  brutes  through  a 
very  long  journey.  It  is  true  that  there  is  a  possibility 
of  obtaining,  occasionally,  fresh  supplies  of  animal  food 
on  the  w&y  ;  but  this  resource  is  too  precarious  to  justify 
any  arctic  traveler  in  placing  much  dependence  thereoD. 
The  principal  animals  whose  flesh  could  be  made  useful 
in  these  cases  are  the  bear,  walrus,  "^eal,  and  blue  tox 
I  have  found  by  experience  that  it  is  possible  to  ti 
many  miles  in  Greenland,  and  on  the  frozen  waters  con- 
tiguous to  tb"'-.  region,  without  seeing  one  of  the  crea- 
tures mention^i  yhcre,  and  even  when  they  are  seen  it 
may  require  KOiua  r.'M'ble  to  secure  their  spoils.  During 
the  whole  timr;^  of  ;pr  stay  in  ^he  arctic  regions,  (more 


•*      '  w  ■  .^■■■ 


i  -^v*.*  If  '  Vi  1 


laying 
wthey 
8  were 
iaroely 
lesome 
rmous. 
;o  hftlf 

nece»> 
ould  be 

unfpr* 
t    dog- 


^  ■"^T 


U  I 


r 


■I  1 : — 


;  -^■XH'-y^i^Ai'^- i.   i^;iHl??JJi(¥ J*"iK^  ■ 


'.•^:^y 


•'^,  r 


4f::-^-.h 


'^^W^^km 


■■^, 


\  .«■ 


•%-m. 


nm->-r*i 


«»Mf>.>^;-vt9Sii 


/!f*  t,"  •^^^ 


b<f^ff'tif 


'M<' 


■M. 


$  ■^^iM' 


fVs**^,. 


,m^ 


j:r 


^« 


:2i'i*i^5^io. 


m:< 


m,. 


'^;fi 


f  *  m. 


#'  -•■^■^ 


(■55i'^--'# 


i:^^  •■':]: 


m/s. 


i « 


'-.j^ 


;*'i 


■Mv 


r^-sjt-t'i-ri''''.- 


i»iFtf¥«.i: 


,feS.' 


'm.€ 


„■••.,*?■ 


^«* 


'i': 


:/i*i: 


'4'-^''4j 


^^'v*'.'-*- 


.&,*>5; 


^i/i 


,v.j.t;*,fj-    't^S:?, 


?^-- 


#iij*  *^ 


fiff" 


■W" 


f..--:w.-.  4 .  .  ' 


{«^i*-:i^,?;^ll)^..^5i^ 


if:-^-m^' 


^^-■'■'■■' -:r 


*  n-K. 


^v. 


0'r^' 


.^f^S^riiSS^.A-^* 


i 


:.'A.  .;^!^'. 


•  •   '■ 


'U  ■.'■  I'rWi' "^  'f^t^^' 


'^^ 


r^r-ry 


7m'- 


..■M>Tmi)j-,7!r--vs.-- 


OBINNXLL  XZPLOBINO  EXPEDITION. 


115 


than  two  years),  we  killed  but  three  or  four  bears,  one 
jralrus,  and  about  half  a  dozen  seals,  although  some  of 
our  people  were  frequently  engaged  in  hunting.  The 
foxes  are  taken  chiefly  in  traps,  but  a  party  traveling 
in  sledges  for  the  purpose  of  making  explorations,  would 
find  the  trapping  of  foxes  a  very  dilatory  and  uncertain 
process,  and  one  on  which  it  would  be  foolish  to  depend 
for  a  supply  of  animal  food.  Owing  to  the  deficient 
supply  of  such  food  which  the  polar  regions  afford, 
(especially  such  parts  of  those  regions  as  require  explo- 
ration), traveling  in  dog-sledges  is  attended  with  very 
great  difficulties.  I  see  no  reason  why  rein-deer  should 
not  be  used  by  arctic  travelers  for  draught  animals, 
instead  of  dogs.  They  could  be  much  more  easily  main 
tained,  as  they  require  but  little  food ;  and  in  a  case  of 
necessity,  they  could  subsist  on  the  lichen  which  grows 
on  the  rocks  in  every  part  of  Greenland.  Besides,  as 
I  think,  they  would  be  found  more  serviceable* than 
dogs ;  being  equal  in  speed  to  the  latter  and  having 
much  greater  pocer  of  endurance.  r,   i  -  . 

It  was  about  the  middle  of  September  when  the  arctic 
winter  set  in ;  the  sun  did  not  quite  disappear,  however, 
until  the  10th  of  October.  In  the  latter  part  of  Sep- 
tember, Dr.  Kane,  Dr.  Hayes,  and  Mr.  Sonntag  made 
an  excursion  to  Cape  Frederick,  where  the  traveling 
party  to  which  I  belonged  had  made  the  first  deposit 
of  provisions.  The  object  of  Dr.  Kane  and  his  compan- 
ions in  visiting  this  spot  was  to  ascertain  the  tempera- 
ture and  to  make  other  scientific  observations.  They 
traveled  in  a  dog-sledge,  and  of  course  were  enabled  to 


■V. 


116 


Godfrey's  narrative  op  the 


proceed  more  expeditiously  than  our  party,  which  went 
on  foot,  and  dragged  a  sledge  heavily  laden  with  provi- 
sions  after  them.  But  the  Doctor's  party  had  the  ill- 
luck  to  encounter  high  winds  and  a  heavy  snow  storm. 
The  wind  made  them  feel  the  cold  more  severely,  and 
the  snow  storm  caused  them  to  lose  their  way.  They 
returned  to  the  brig,  at  last,  in  a  very  pitiable  condi- 
tion,  every  one  of  them  being  more  or  less  afflicted 
with  snow  blindness  ;  and,  but  for  the  sagacity  of  the 
dogs  in  retracing  their  route,  the  whole  party  might 
have  perished.     This  party  was  absent  two  days. 

When  the  sun  was  about  to  make  his  final  adieu  for 
the  season,  the  Commander  sent  out  Bonsall  and  Blake 
with  directions  to  proceed  southward,  to  a  place  on  the 
coast  where  we  had  left  a  boat  and  some  tools.  They 
were  required  to  see  if  these* articles  were  safe,  as  there 
was  some  likelihood  that  the  wandering  Esquimaux  had 
overhauled  them.  The  distance  was  about  thirty-five 
miles,  and  the  two  men  commenced  their  journey  thither 
in  a  dog-sledge.  They  met  with  great  difficulties  on 
their  way,  as  the  road  over  the  ice  was  so  rough,  and 
unmanageable  that  they  were  unable  to  proceed  more 
than  eight  or  ten  miles  per  day.  They  were  likewise 
overtaken  by  the  darkness  when  they  were  about  twenty 
miles  from  the  brig ;  and  to  put  the  climax  to  their 
misfortunes,  their  sled  broke  down  before  they  had 
reached  their  place  of  destination.  They  came  back 
with  the  dogs,  leaving  their  broken  sledge  on  the  ice ; 
and  when  they  arrived  at  the  brig  they  were  speechless 
and  scarcely  alive.  Kans,  (Dr.  Kane's  pet  Esquimaux,) 


,^.,^„„,....,,,,^„„ 


aUNNKIJ.  EXPLOHIN»   EXPEDITION 


UT 


and  Whipple  were  sent  after  the  broken  sledge,  which 
tbej  luckily  found  and  brought  back,  having  taken  a  dog 
team  with  them  for  that  purpose,  y  :  n,,i-.^5.*}  i;!/ ,; 
The  long  arctic  winter  was  now  down  upon  us ;  we 
expected  to  see  no  more  of  the  sun  for  several  months, ; 
Outside  of  our  vessel  nothing  was  seen  but  ice,  snow^ 
and  naked  rocks ;  unless  we  turned  our  eyes  upward 
to  behold  a  sky  which  could  not  be  seen  without  a  thrill 
of  horror,  so  repulsively  unnatural  was  its  appearance. 
The  arctic  heavens,  after  the  disappearance  of  the  sun» 
resemble  a  vast  arch  or  dome  of  granite,  almost  forcing 
the  beholder  to  imagine  himself  in  one  of  *'  the  pro- 
foundest  caves  of  gloomy  Dis,"  or  in  one  of  those 
central  caverns  of  the  earth  which,  (according  to  the 
theory  of  Captain  Simmes,)  have  their  entrance  near 
the  Pole.  When  the  moon  is  visible,  the  sky  glistens 
with  a  faint  metallic  lustre,  like  the  interior  of  the  dome 
of  a  German  church  lined  with  lead ;  or  like  any  thing 
else  rather  than  the  cheerful  aspect  of  the  etherial  fir- 
mament.    On  every  object  around  and  above  us     ,^  ^ 

"  Black  Melancholy  sits,  and  round  her  throwa 
A  death- like  silence  and  a  dread  repose." 

It  is  impossible  to  describe  the  effect  produced  by 
polar  scenery  on  those  who  can  see  nothing  else  for 
months  together.  The  very  soul  of  man  seems  to  be 
suffocated  by  the  oppressive  gloom,  the  horrid  silence, 
the  changeless  appearance  of  surrounding  objects, 
among  which  no  signs  of  animated  nature  can  be  dis- 
cerned ;  for  all  that  the  eye  can  compnss  is  fixed  and 
still,  like  a  sad  and  dreary  picture,  or  some  magnificent 


\<fr.    :*5 


■■t>l" 


118 


GODFEEY'S  NARRATIVE  OP  THE 


piece  of  sculpture,  representing  a  scene  of  utter  deso- 
lation,     ''^''■^■/'^y     "v  ..-  ■      .■/"■>'- 

As  might  be  expected,  in  view  of  their  situation,  our 
men  were  all  terribly  afflicted  with  the  blue  devils.  I 
hoped  that  our  officers  would  feel  disposed  to  get  up 
Bome  kind  of  dramatic  entertainments  for  our  relief, 
as  Captain  Parry  did  in  1821,  when  his  ships  were 
detained  among  the  icebergs  in  Repulse  Bay.  But 
I  rather  suspect  that  Captain  Kane  was  conscientiously 
scrupulous  about  these  matters,  as  he  had  been  educated 
among  Christians  of  the  straitest  sect.  As  circum- 
stances  had  deprived  me,  in  a  great  measure,  of  the 
advantages  of  a  religious  training,  I  was  heathenish 
enough  to  become  an  amateur  performer,  in  a  small 
way,  for  the  diversion  of  my  moping  companions.  I 
blacked  my  face  occasionally  with  charcoal  dust,  and 
treated  the  poor  fellows  to  a  few  Ethiopian  songs,  and 
a  lecture  to  match,  which  seemed  to  do  them  some 
good,  although  Jack  Frost  was  nibbling  at  their  toes 
during  the  performance.  One  of  my  ears  was  actually 
frozen  once,  while  I  was  singing  an  amusing  negro 
melody  to  a  select  audience  on  the  fore-deck. 

Notwithstanding  our  melancholy  seclusion  among  the 
ice-cakes,  we  were  not  quite  killed  by  ennui,  for  we 
had  employments  enough  during  the  winter  to  keep  the 
mind  (which  has  been  aptly  compared  to  a  mill-stone) 
from  grinding  itself  away.  When  I  was  not  engaged 
in  out-door  work,  I  applied  myself  to  the  arts  of  tailor- 
ing and  boot-making,  my  principal  material  being  the 
skins  of  seals  and  bears.     At  this  time  there  was  a 


af  utter  deso- 

situation,  our 
lue  devils.    I 
sed  to  get  up 
For  our  relief, 
lis  ships  were 
se  Bay.    But 
jonscientiously 
been  educated 
,     As  circum- 
easure,  of  the 
vas  heathenish 
ler,  in  a  small 
jompanions.    I 
•coal  dust,  and 
ian  songs,  and 
do  them  some 
or  at  their  toes 
rs  was  actually 
amusing  negro 
deck. 

sion  among  the 
ennuiy  for  we 
iter  to  keep  the 
to  a  mill-stone) 
as  not  engaged 
le  arts  of  tailor- 
lerial  being  the 
le  there  was  a 


--"Sr 


t-  *■  <-      ^ 


■t-/.i^i<»'*gj^if*ftr>'  *   i^>.f|^'x^i^*4--^   -;^"..'r^-^iis-^*i7 


m.l 


^v^ 


s«    IV 


ii^    in- 


'        V-t 


f.: 


(Ik 


It    -f  I- 


^,'>.  - ' 


>-"^t 


,f'fe 


*»^v 


s.ilii, 


--SS:   'C--v^^i--'v*^V' 


.^- 


.•vf'"^ 


(     \ 


ys 


fi    ^  * 


5-    ./ti. 


liM* 


y' 


«* 


i^v 


.('». '    * 


>     V         ^N- 


if* 


■iJS        "k  ' 


Ui 


'-fT^fSrVT 


OUINNELL  EXPLORING  EXPEDITION. 


12L 


good  deal  of  sickness  on  board.  Pr.  Kane  himself 
nas  severely  afflicted  with  rheumatism.  Whipple  had 
agonizing  pains  in  the  back.  Stevenson  and  several 
others  were  down  with  the  scurvy.  Schubert,  the 
French  cook,  was  seldom  well  enough  to  attend  to  his 
duty,  and  it  was  my  fate  to  be  everybody's  substitute. 
I  was  the  hunter,  dog-trainer,  boot  and  breeches-maker, 
journeyman  carpenter,  Ethiopian  serenader,  and  French 
cook,  pro  tern.,  besides  executing  a  dozen  other  offices 
and  commissions  which  could  not  have  been  required 
of  me,  according  to  the  letter  of  my  contract.  But,  if 
I  happened  to  grumble  a  little,  (which  I  seldom  did, 
however,)  the  prompt  answer  was,  **You  ought  to  be 
thankful,  William,  that  you  have  health  and  strength 
sufficient  for  the  performance  of  these  tasks.  Consider 
how  much  better  your  condition  is  than  that  of  your 
sick  comrades."  >.,-■■.      .  .„=  .v    ,  ,-vr^  »t., 

These  words  of  reproof  and  consolation  were  always 
effective,  and  I  became  sensible  that  any  complaint  on 
my  part  was  impious  and  ungrateful.     :;»  .,*; 

As  the  winter  wore  away,  Ohlsen  (the  carpenter)  and 
Petersen  began  to  fit  up  sleds  for  the  purpose  of  mak- 
ing journeys  of  exploration  in  the  spring.  It  was  Dr. 
Kane's  intention  to  send  an  exploring  party  over  land 
to  the  western  coast  of  Greenland ;  or,  at  least,  to  test 
the  practicability  of  such  an  enterprise.  The  dis- 
tance to  be  traveled  would  probably  be  between  six 
hundred  and  eight  bundled  miles.  The  interior  of 
Greenland  is  supposed  to  bo  little  else  than  a  mass  of 
ice,  with  scarcely  any  animal  or  vegetable  productions. 
U 


122 


GOBniET'B  NABBATIVK  OF  THS 


In  View  of  these  circumstances,  the  proposed  journey 
offered  nothing  very  inviting  to  the  most  adventuroiu 
spirits ;  for  travelers  generally  go  in  pursuit  of  noveUi/^ 
which  no  one  could  expect  to  find  in  a  region  of  ua- 
varying  ice. 

It  is  unnecessary  to  speak  of  our  life  on  board  of  th 
hrig  during  the  winter.  Enough  has  been  said  to  con- 
vince the  reader  that  such  a  life  is  little  better  than  a 
living  death.  We  were  entombed  in  ice,  and  we  were 
so  much  worse  off  than  those  who  are  really  dead,  that 
we  were  sensible  of  our  wretched  situation,  and  allTo 
to  the  keenest  suffering.  '^*^*'^"  -  •  ^^  •  -  --  ?T 
^  The  only  stirring  incident  which  comes  to  my  r^ 
membrance  as  an  occurrence  of  the  dark  season,  was 
an  attempt  made  by  Dr.  Kane  to  exterminate  the  rats 
with  which  the  brig  was  much  infested.  We  had  shipped 
a  good  many  of  these  animals  at  the  different  ports 
where  wo  had  stopped,  and  they  had  fully  carried  out 
in  practice  the  scriptural  injunction,  **  Increase  and 
multiply."  Our  commander  had  a  fancy  for  doing 
things  in  the  most  scientific  manner ;  he  therefore  de- 
termined to  destroy  all  the  rats,  **  at  one  fell  swoop," 
by  dosing  them  with  carbonic  acid  gas.  We  were  all 
turned  out  of  our  comfortable  quarters  between  decks 
to  make  room  for  this  interesting  experiment,  which 
was  to  proclaim  the  triumph  of  human  knowledge  over 
brutal  instinct.  The  hatches  were  closed,  a  number  of 
furnaces  and  other  vessels  containing  ignited  charcoal 
were  placed  in  the  interior  of  the  brig,  and  all  the 
cracks  and  crevices  having  been  closely  stopped,  the 


^'7"'""" 


'T  -yiy  7tT«r  —w 


'.i^'^-w^Tw-wr  ■^«Pil!-^^*■'^ 


QKTNNELL  EXPLORINQ    EXPEDITION. 


123 


rats  were  abandoned  to  their  fate.  The  fumigation  was 
continued  for  thirty-six  hours  without  intermission,  and 
10  effectually  was  the  gas  applied  that  no  less  than 
fourteen  full-sized  rats  were  done  to  death;  and  the 
French  cook,  Monsieur  Schubert,  was  very  near  coming 
to  the  same  conclusion.  In  the  warmth  of  his  profes- 
sional zeal,  he  went  below  to  dress  a  slice  of  ham  for 
the  Captain's  dinner,  forgetful  of  the  orders  which  had 
been  issued  for  all  hands  to  keep  out  of  the  gaseous 
atmosphere  between  decks.  Schubert  was  overpowered 
by  the  unwholesome  vapor,  and  fell  into  convulsions. 
Morton,  the  steward,  endeavored  to  haul  him  up  the 
ladder  but  failed  in  the  attempt,  and  fell  down  likewise. 
Dr.  Kane  hastened  to  the  assistance  of  the  cook  and 
steward,  and  met  with  the  same  ill  fortune ;  and  all 
three  of  them  might  have  perished  but  for  the  strenuous 
exertit>ns  of  the  whole  brig's  company  to  save  them. 
Moreover,  the  brig  took  fire  from  one  of  the  furnaces 
in  which  charcoal  was  burned  in  order  to  suffocate  the 
rats ;  and  so  the  Doctor's  experiment  proved  almost  a^ 
disastrous  as  that  of  the  Dutch  farmer  of  Pennsylvania, 
who  set  fire  to  hiB  barn  for  the  purpose  of  exterminating 
the  vermin  which  infested  that  building.  Luckily  the 
fire  on  board  of  our  vessel  was  extinguished  before 
much  damage  was  done ;  but  the  Doctor  (who  for  seve- 
ral days  after  felt  the  effects  of  the  gas  which  he  had 
inhaled),  was  not  sufficiently  satisfied  with  the  result  of 
his  charcoal  experiment  to  give  it  a  second  trial. 


i  --.'^ 


"'•rn-"? 


Vrs  »f:.vy 


s. 


124 


¥ 


QOOraiY'H  NAaSATlVS  Of  Till 


<afct?,^>i>,  ifC'k.» 


•.".  ■.  ^ 


CHAPTER,    XII. 


f  8RMINATI0N  OF  THB  DARK  8BA80N — QRAND  JUBILEE-* 
AN  BXPLORINQ  PARTY — INAUSPICIOUS  BEGINNING  OF 
THB  JOURNEY — OUR  TRAVELING  OOSTUMB — GLOOMY 
ANTICIPATIONS  OF  THB  TRAVELERS — THB  AUTHOR'S 
PET  FOX — HIS  GREAT  ACHIBVBMENTB  AMONG  THB 
RATS-  -A  SUGGESTION    FOR    St>ORTING   GENTLEMEN—- 

.  SINGULAR  RAT  TRAP — SAD  INTBLLIGBNCB  FROM  THB 
EXPLORIl^G  PARTY. 

Wb  had  a  glimpse  of  the  returning  sun  abou'  the 
latter  part  of  February.  None  but  those  who  know  bj 
experience  what  it  is  to  see  no  daylight  for  several 
months,  can  appreciate  our  feelings  of  joy  and  exulta- 
tion when  the  first  rays  of  the  long-absent  luminary 
were  seen  on  «he  mountain  tops.  On  that  occasion^ 
we  all  became  idolaters — sun-wordhipers — haih'ng  the 
advent  of  old  Sol  with  as  much  rapturous  enthusiasm  as 
was  ever  manifested  by  his  Eastern  devotees. 

A  few  days  after  the  joyful  event  just  mentioned,  we 
began  to  make  active  preparations  for  carrying  ont 
Dr.  Kane's  stupendous  project  of  sending  an  exploring 
party  across  the  whole  breadth  of  Greenland  to  the 
western  coast.  The  persons  detailed  for  this  service 
were  Brooks,  (who  officiated  as  leader  of  the  party,) 


f^i 


^#'^ 


'*»£ 


NINO  01 
-QLOOMY 

.uthor's 

NO  THB 
[<EMEN— 
lOM  THB 


bou)  the 
know  by 
several 
exultft- 
uminary 
)Cca8ion, 
ling  the 
isiasm  as 

oned,  we 
iring  out 
xploring 
d  to  the 
service 
party,) 


m 


,^* 


M 


'^m:,:. 


:u 


-1  ;■..■?! 


r'"t>- 


K)^k.J^-J^k:^' 


■r    i^.ti.-.fii.! 


.fi. 


.'      .  '*K 


^t 


'^»ig^  •  ,  t-qSl^B'  '«!t^» 


^    ••  ^ 


•J**- 


S«^', 


j(W  »■'      -w,    i,tjrtSja  4 


ORINNILL  KZPLORIMU   KXPIDITION. 


127 


Sonntag,  WIIbod,  Baker,  Sohubert,  and  Hiokey.  These 
were  to  start  on  the  expedition,  dragging  their  provi- 
sions and  baggage  in  a  large  sledge,  constructed  ex- 
pressly  for  the  parpose ;  and,  some  days  after,  Dr.  Kane 
himself  was  to  follow  in  his  dog-sledge. 

On  the  5th  of  March  the  large  sledge  was  made 
ready,  and  its  load  of  provisions,  &c.,  was  placed  in  it, 
preparatory  for  commencing  the  journey.  The  men 
who  were  appointed  to  haul  it,  then  took  hold  of  the 
ropes  and  drew  the  vehicle  about  one  hundred  yards  on 
the  ice,  to  ascertain  if  all  the  apparatus  were  in  good 
working  order.  The  men  then  came  back  to  the  brig 
and  reposed  themselves  for  several  hours.  At  eleven 
o'clock,  P.  M.,  a  luncheon  was  prepared  for  them  on 
board,  and  all  things  being  now  quite  ready,  they  com- 
menced their  expedition  at  midnight,  the  thermometer 
then  indicating  40^  below  zero.  The  travelers  pro- 
ceeded about  seven  miles  from  the  brig,  when  they  were 
obliged  to  come  to  a  halt,  having  found  to  their  sorrow, 
that  the  sledge,  however  well  it  might  work  on  the  hard 
ice,  was  not  suitably  constructed  for  traveling  on  any 
yielding  surface,  such  as  the  deep  snow  with  which  the 
ice  was  covered  at  the  point  which  they  had  now 
reached.  The  runners  of  this  sledge  were  so  narrow 
that  they  sunk  very  deeply  into  the  snow,  and  thus 
made  the  heavily-laden  vehicle  almost  immovable.  The 
party  therefore  pitched  their  tent,  and  sent  Wilson  and 
Hickey  back  to  the  brig  to  apprize  the  commander  of 
their  diflSculty.  When  these  men  arrived  and  delivered 
their  message,  Dr.  Kane  ordered  out  euother  sledge, 


Y 


..*!:.  1:^ 


^- 


128 


Godfrey's  narrative  of  the 


which  was  provided  with  very  broad  runners,  and 
Riley,  Whipple,  and  myself  were  directed  to  drag  this 
sledge  to  our  comrades,  and  bring  back  the  one  which 
they  had  found  unserviceable.  The  wind  blew,  in  our 
teeth  as  we  proceeded  on  this  mission,  and  the  cold 
produced  a  sensation  which  could  scarcely  be  distin- 
guished from  burning  ;  but  when  we  became  benumbed, 
or  about  half  frozen  to  death,  we  began  to  feel  more 
comfortable. 

The  dress  worn  by  our  men  on  this  journey,  and  on 
similar  occasions,  was  cut  according  to  the  Esquimaux 
fashion.  A  monkey-jacket,  or  "jumper"  covers  the 
upper  part  of  the  person.  This  garment  is  made  Ct 
bear-skins,  with  the  fur  on,  and  it  is  provided  with  a 
hood,  which  can  be  drawn  over  the  head  and  fastened 
around  the  neck,  so  as  to  leave  only  a  small  part  of 
the  face  uncovered.  Tight  breeches  of  seal-skin,  and 
boots  of  the  same  material,  complete  this  elegant  cos- 
tume, which  imparts  to  the  wearer  a  more  bear-like 
appearance  than  would  be  required  of  an  actor  dressed 
for  one  of  the  leading  parts  in  the  drama  of  *^  Valentine 
and  Orson." 


'V'^.- 


■./%«*.'  'fSJ-- 


v'iJJ.' 


''>f%^tiii.:.i- 


Guided  by  Wilson  and  Hickey,  we  reached  the  tent 
which  our  travelers  had  pitched  on  the  ice.  They 
seemed  to  have  become  sick  of  their  undertaking 
already,  though  they  had  traveled  only  seven  miles  of 
a  journey  which  might  extend  to  seven  hundred.  The 
general  opinion  among  them  was,  that  this  enterprise 
had  been  commenced  too  soon  in  the  season ;  for  the 
sun,  as  yet,  was  almost  powerless,  and  the  temperature 


"if'ii-''.. 


■'fl■"ff-;.«^^^^■;",-|■.."■ 


GBINNELL  XXFLOBINO  EXPEDITION. 


129 


of  the  atmosphere  was  almost  as  low  as  it  had  been  ni 
any  time  during  the  winter. 


■^f''#;ri»MiM*#.ifc. 


Alijt^: 


While  the  traveling  party  groaned  and  grumbled  in 
anticipation  of  the  hardsips  they  were  about  to  en- 
counter, Riley,  Whipple,  and  I  were  engaged  in  trans- 
ferring the  load  from  the  rejected  sledge  to  the  one 
Trhich  we  had  brought  with  us;  and,  when  this  work 
was  completed,  we  (soipewhat  ironically,)  wished  the 
travelers  a  pleasant  journey,  and  bade  them  "good- 
night." In  answer  to  which  one  of  them  rather  dis- 
courteously recommended  us  to  go  to  some  place  which 
lies  a  little  to  the  southward  of  purgatory.   ^     M^^M^ai 

A  whole  day  had  been  consumed  by  the  traveling 
party  in  waiting  for  a  change  of  sledges,  and  the  diffi- 
culties they  had  met  with  at  the  outset  must  have  had 
a  very  discouraging  effect.  My  two  companions  and  I 
returned  to  the  brig,  dragging  the  sledge  from  which 
the  load  had  been  removed,  and  which,  in  its  lightened 
condition,  could  be  moved  without  much  trouble.  The 
next  day  I  began  to  put  a  team  of  dogs  in  training,  in 
order  to  have  them  under  due  regulation  for  the  use  of 
Dr.  Kane,  when  he  should  proceed  westward  to  join  the 
exploring  party  I  have  just  been  speaking  of.  In  order 
to  put  the  dogs  in  practice,  I  harnessed  them  in  a 
sledge  and  drove  to  the  fox-traps,  which  we  had  set  in 
various  places,  at  some  distance  from  the  brig.  These 
traps  are  of  Esquimaux  invention ;  they  are  constructed 
by  placing  flat  stones  in  a  position  to  form  a  sort  of 
box ;  another  stone,  suspended  by  a  string,  makes  the 
falling  door,  the  end  of  the  string  being  carried  over 


■M 


:!^^... 


•-i^ff?-: 


ISO 


qodfrey's  nabsatiye  of  thb 


the  top  of  the  trap,  and  fastened  to  a  trigger,  which  is 
baited  and  placed  at  the  back  part  of  the  box,  so  that 
when  the  fox  nibbles  at  the  bait  the  string  is  disengaged, 
the  door  falls  and  closes  the  aperture  in  front,  making 
the  animal  a  prisonei.  The  traps  had  not  been  ex- 
amined for  a  week ;  several  foxes  had  been  caught ;  but 
all  except  one  were  frozen  stiff,  and  were  as  dead  as  red- 
herrings.  I  brought  the  dead  animals  as  well  as  the 
survivor  to  the  brig ;  the  latter  was  soon  domesticated 
on  board,  and  became  a  great  favorite.  This  blue  fox 
conducted  himself  with  the  strictest  propriety,  and 
made  himself  extremely  useful  by  hunting  the  rats, 
which,  in  spite  of  Dr.  Kane's  grand  fumigation,  con- 
tinued to  be  very  numerous  and  troublesome.  "Jack," 
as  I  called  my  pet,  killed  more  of  the  long-tailed  ras- 
cals in  half  an  hour  than  the  fumigation  aforesaid  d'd 
in  two  days.  For  "ratting"  purposes,  I  consider  the 
blue  fox  as  far  superior  to  any  terrier ;  and  I  conceive 
that  it  would  be  worth  while  for  some  sporting  gen- 
tleman to  import  a  few  arctic  foxes  for  the  sake  of  car- 
rying on  that  elegant  and  tasteful  recreation  called 
rat-hunting,  which  has  lately  become  so  fashionable  in 
the  United  States.  Before  my  fox  was  brought,  the 
vermin  had  become  so  bold  and  impudent  that  they 
scarcely  took  any  trouble  to  keep  out  of  our  way.  It 
was  no  uncommon  thing  for  them  to  run  over  us  at 
night  while  we  were  asleep ;  and  on  one  occasion  an 
indivdual  of  the  species  attempted  to  warm  his  ft  t  at 
Whipple's  nose,  which  was  somewhat  of  a  Bardolpb 
complexion  and  glowed  like  a  coal-grate.    Whipplcj 


GBINNELL  EXPLOBINO  EXPEDITION. 


131 


though  in  a  profound  slumber  at  the  time,  felt  the  tail 
of  the  intrusive  brute  in  his  mouth,  and  instinctively 
closed  his  teeth  with  a  snap,  like  that  of  a  steel  rat- 
trap.  The  squealing  of  the  rat,  whose  tail  was  firmly 
held  between  Whipple's  masticators,  awakened  tho 
sleeper,  who  put  up  his  hand  and  caught  the  animal, 
vihichy  after  biting  his  fingers  rather  severely,  was 
crushed  to  death  in  his  grasp.     -^'^'^-  ^■■m.^.^^^^m^ 

I  think  Monsieur  Schubert,  the  French  cook,  boasted 
his  ability  to  prepare  exquisite  dishes,  in  the  most  ap- 
proved French  style,  to  be  composed  of  rats,  with  the 
proper  seasonings  and  appliances  to  make  them  moro 
delicious.  One  day,  when  my  fox  had  been  more  than 
usually  successful  in  hunting,  Schubert  actually  pre- 
pared a  rat  fricassee,  which  was  tasted  by  some  of  tho 
oflScers  and  pronounced  excellent.  Although  our  men 
were  pining  for  a  change  of  diet,  and  especially  for  a 
taste  of  fresh  meat,  few  of  them  could  be  persuaded  to 
touch  this  mess,  though  Schubert  used  all  his  rhetoric 
to  overcome  our  scruples,  assuring  us  that  similar  pre- 
parations were  often  served  up  at  some  of  the  most 
fashionable  restaurants  of  Paris ;  and  he  stated  that, 
among  French  gourmands,  if  a  dish  was  found  to  bo 
palatable,  no  idle  curiosity  was  ever  manifested  with 
regard  to  its  composition. 

Ten  days  after  the  exploring  party  had  started,  wo 
were  aroused  from  our  slumbers  at  midnight  by  the  in- 
telligence that  some  of  them  had  returned  in  a  most 
wretched  plight,  having  left  several  of  tKeir  companions 
behind  in  a  dying  condition,  or  fio  much  4;«haustcd  tht^t 


132 


qodvbst'b  nab&axive  ov  thb 


they  were  unable  to  get  back.  All  hands  immediately 
arose  to  give  due  attention  to  the  sufferers.  The  per- 
sons who  had  returned  were  Ohlsen,  Sonntag,  and  Pe- 
tersen. Their  faces  were  absolutely  black.  Ohlsen's 
toes  were  frozen ;  Sonntag  was  stupefied,  and  appeared 
to  be  unconscious  of  his  situation ;  Petersen  was  in  a 
similar  condition ;  and  Ohlsen  informed  us  that  it  was 
with  extreme  difficulty  that  he  had  been  able  to  keep 
his  two  companions  in  motion  on  their  way  to  the  brig. 
They  showed  a  constant  inclination  to  lie  down  and 
sleep ;  and  had,  in  fact,  been  in  a  sort  of  somnambulistic 
state  during  the  last  ten  miles  of  their  journey.  Ohlsen, 
though  hp,  himself  was  scarcely  alive,  was  the  only  one 
of  the  three  who  was  able  to  give  any  account  of  his 
party.  He  reported  that  four  of  his  companions  were 
lying  in  a  rude  tent,  at  the  distance  of  forty  miles  from 
the  brig ;  that  they  were  aM  disabled,  and,  as  he  be- 
lieved, at  the  point  of  death.  He  had  reason  to  sup- 
pose that  they  would  all  perish  before  any  succor  could 
reach  them.  The  persons  who  had  just  returned  de- 
manded our  first  attention.  Ohlsen's  statement  made 
us  fear  that  the  others  were  beyond  the  reach  of  earthly 
assistance.  The  three  returned  travelers  were  put  to 
bed  without  delay,  and  all  the  medical  skill  on  board 
was  called  into  immediate  requisition.  Doctors  Kane 
and  Hayes  gave  their  most  anxious  attention  to  those 
afflicted  persons ;  who,  as  soon  as  they  were  brought 
into  the  warmer  atmosphere  of  the  lower  deck,  began  to 
suffer  with  the  most  excruciating  agonies.  By  the  way, 
it  may  be  proper  to  fuform  the  reader  that  the  suuferisg 


l/kl>;'..,.;..;-ji.i,.!.i'  i'ji.*,,  »jifcA  J;;s  I 


■  •"n^JOTW. 


ORINNELL  EXPLORING  EXPEDITION. 


133 


which  a  man  experiences  while  he  is  freezing,  or  while 
some  of  his  members  are  in  a  frozen  condition,  is  very 
light  compared  with  the  horrible  anguish  which  he  feels 
when  the  frozen  parts  of  his  body  begin  to  thaw.  The 
pains  at  such  times  are  insupportable,  and  compel  the 
stoutest  man  to  scream  out  as  though  he  were  on  the 
rack.  It  was  found  necessary  to  amputate  all  of 
Ohlsen's  toes ;  Sonntag  and  Petersen  escaped  without 
mutilation,  but  they  were  delirious  and  otherwise  very 
ill  for  several  days  after  their  return.  ■*"'^^^'  '  * 

At  an  early  hour  in  the  morning  of  the  day  after  the 
return  of  these  three  persons,  we  began  to  fit  out  a 
sledge  party  to  go  to  the  relief  of  our  unfortunate  com- 
panions who  had  been  left  on  the  ice.  The  great  proba- 
bility was  that  they  had  all  perished ;  but,  as  we  could 
not  be  quite  certain  of  that  fact,  we  felt  bound  in  duty 
to  visit  them  with  as  little  delay  as  possible.     f>*    -^w 


;\.,;^  '■^Wfnitmiif  fmif-i^i^^s-mm 


^1^-S. 


mm:  ^:^:m^,<0iKm^- 


-\ 


134 


Godfrey's  naboativs  or  thi 


1       ,  r-y    '      '    A-         • 


i.'f 


DR.  KANE  AND  SEVERAL  MEN  00  TO  THE  RELIEF  OF  THE 
PERSONS  SUPPOSED  TO  BE  DYING — SLOW  AND  TROU- 
BLESOME TRAVELING — OHLSEN'S  NOBLE  CONDUCT- 
HE  WALKS  TWENTY  MILES  WITHOUT  ANY  TOES — DR. 
KANE'S  SUFFERINGS — HIS  LIFE  IN  DANGER— WE 
REACH  THE  TENT  WHERE  OUR  SICK  COMPANIONS  ARE 
LYING — THEIR     MIRACULOUS     PRESERVATION     FROM 

DEATH — DR.  Kane's  prayer.       ,Ja!*r.i;wf"^-s.  -      n^ 


The  persons  selected  to  go  to  the  relief  of  our  dis- 
tressed comrades  were,  besides  Dr.  Kane,  who  took  the 
lead  in  this  business,  McGarj,  Morton,  Riley,  Blake, 
Bonsall,  and  myself.  It  was  necessary  that  we  should 
have  a  guide,  otherwise  the  sick  persons  might  not  have 
been  found ;  and  as  no  others  but  the  three  members 
of  their  party  who  had  returned  could  direct  us  on  the 
way,  it  was  necessary  to  take  one  of  those  three  with 
us.  Sonntag  and  Petersen  were  totally  unfit  for  this 
duty ;  for,  besides  being  too  feeble  to  undertake  such 
a  journey,  they  had  not  recovered  their  senses.  We 
were  compelled,  therefore,  to  make  use  of  poor 
Ohlsen,  whose  toes  had  all  been  cut  off  only  a  few  hours 
previous,  and  who,  as  the  reader  may  suppose,  was  not 


or  THE  GRINNETiL  EXPEDITION. 


186 


in  very  good  traveling  order.  His  mutilated  feet  were 
carefully  bandaged,  and  he  was  placed  in  a  sleeping 
bag  of  buifalo-skin,  on  the  sledge  ;  all  care  being  taken 
to  make  him  as  comfortable  as  he  could  be  in  such  cir- 
cumstances, r 

Unfortunately,  we  had  no  available  dog-team,  as 
great  sickness  and  mortality  prevailed  among  the 
quadrupeds  during  the  winter;  and  suci  of  the  survivors 
as  were  well  enough  to  travel  were  so  badly  trained  and 
BO  little  under  control,  that  we  feared  that  they  would 
retard  our  progress  rather  than  help  us  onward.  It 
was  determined,  therefore,  that  the  men  themselves 
should  draw  the  sledge.  The  route  which  had  been 
taken  by  the  exploring  party  was  across  the  channel  of 
Smith's  Sound,  with  the  intention  of  reaching  the  oppo- 
site coast.  The  ice  on  tho  Sound  was  exceedingly 
rough ;  in  fact,  there  was  scarcely  a  square  yard  with- 
out a  hill  or  a  hummock,  and  our  progress  with  the 
sled  was  so  very  slow,  that  nothing  but  the  disabled 
condition  of  our  guide,  Mr.  Ohlsen,  prevented  us  from 
leaving  the  vehicle  on  the  road  and  proceeding  on  our 
way  without  it.  Anxiety  for  the  fate  of  our  sick  com- 
panions urged  us  forward,  and  in  spite  of  all  obstacles 
wo  had  cleared  fifteen  miljs  by  twelve  o'clock.  At  this 
point,  rest  and  refreshment  became  indispensable  ;  we 
stopped  therefore  and  had  a  luncheon  of  hard  biscuit 
and  salt  pork.  Among  other  preparations  for  the 
journey,  which  had  been  made  in  the  morning  before 
our  departure,  a  number  of  bottles  filled  with  hot  water 
bad  been  placed  in  the  sledge ;  by  means  of  this  provi- 


f  ■  • 


186 


OODFEET'S  NABRATIVX  OF  THl 


dent  contrivance  we  were  now  supplied  with  something 
to  drink,  as  the  water  had  become  cool  enough  for  the 
purpose  without  being  frozen.     ?  -j     m. .   »,isA  ■  ■;      ^  j 

It  is  a  notable  circumstance  that  travelers  in  the 
polar  regions  are  as  liable  to  suffer  for  want  of  water 
as  those  who  wander  over  the  sandy  deserts  of  Africa. 
Ice  and  snow  cannot  be  used  for  the  purpose  of  quench- 
ing thirst  until  they  are  liquefied ;  the  liquefaction  of 
them,  in  these  regions,  requires  a  good  deal  of  artificial 
beat,  and  that,  of  course,  is  not  always  attainable  in  a 
country  which  produces  nothing  combustible  except 
animal  fat.  I  have  often  attempted  to  relieve  my 
thirst  by  sucking  pieces  of  ice  or  lumps  of  snow,  but  the 
expedient  is  painfully  tantalizing,  serving  rather  to 
increase  the  drought  than  to  allay  it. 

Soon  after  we  had  disposed  of  our  lunch,  we  started 
again  on  our  toilsome  way ;  the  inequalities  of  the 
route  made  sledge-hauling  a  work  of  extreme  difficulty, 
and  although  the  temperature,  at  this  time,  was  more 
than  fifty  degrees  below  zero,  all  of  the  men  who  took 
a  part  in  the  severe  labor  were  in  a  profuse  perspiration. 
The  difficulties  of  the  road  increased  as  we  went  forward, 
and  our  progress,  at  the  same  time,  was  so  slow,  that 
a  feeling  of  despair  began  to  pervade  the  whole  party. 
We  had  now  been  ten  hours  on  the  road  and  had  ad- 
vanced but  twenty  miles.  The  sledge  was  the  grent 
incumbrance,  and  it  was  totally  useless,  except  for  the 
purpose  of  conveying  our  disabled  guide.  Mr.  Olilsen, 
perceiving  where  the  difficulty  lay,  with  the  most  Iieioic 
self-deYOtion,  requested  that  the  unwieldy  vehicle  miglit 


',.,-.v,;>!»i5i,rj-;W<.--i5j.-*t/ii-i't  "''.V,  . 


ORINNELL   EXPLORING    EXPEDITION. 


m 


be  left  behind,  nnd  signified  his  determination  to  pro- 
ceed on  foot.  He  supposed  that  we  had  now  achieved 
half  of  the  journey,  and  that  a  walk  of  twenty  miles 
vrould  bring  us  to  the  place  where  the  sick  people  had 
been  left.  But  who  without  a  shudder  could  think  of 
permitting  a  man,  whose  toes  had  been  amputated  on 
the  preceding  evening,  to  walk  twenty  miles  on  the  ice. 
The  experiment  appeared  to  be  both  cruel  and  danger- 
ous ;  but  the  alternative  was  still  worse.*  If  we  should 
attempt  to  carry  the  sledge  with  us,  it  might  require 
ten  or  twelve  hours  more  to  reach  our  perishing  com- 
panions ;  and  so  much  delay  would  seem  to  preclude 
every  chance  of  saving  any  of  their  lives.  We  were  there- 
fore, (on  the  principle  of  choosing  the  least  of  two  evils,) 
compelled  to  embrace  Ohlsen's  proposition.  Accord- 
ingly the  sledge  was  abandoned;  and,  by  supporting 
oar  guide  as  well  as  we  could,  and  carrying  him  occa- 
sionally, we  managed  to  get  on  with  considerable  expe- 
dition. Dr.  Kane  himself,  owing  to  the  delicacy  of 
his  constitution,  which  was  not  well  calculated  to  sus- 
tain such  severe  hardships,  was  almost  as  helpless  as 
our  guide.  He  fainted  several  times,  and  it  required 
all  the  attention  of  Morton  and  myself  to  keep  him  in 
motion.  At  length,  after  struggling  along  for  five  or 
six  hours  more,  we  came  within  view  of  the  tent  in 
which  we  expected  to  find  our  comrades,  either  living 
or  dead.  We  could  scarcely  think  it  possible  that  they 
ivere  yet  alive,  for  when  Sonntag,  Ohlsen,  and  Peter- 
sen left  them,  they  were  supposed  to  be  in  a  dying  con- 
iition.  Thirty-sis  hours  had  since  elapsed,  and  during 
12* 


138 


QODFBET  S  NARRATIVE   OF   THE 


all  that  time  they  could  not  have  had  any  kind  of  as- 
eistance  or  relief.  I  fixed  my  eyes  on  the  little  tent 
with  the  most  painful  anxiety  ;  it  was  pitched  between 
two  hillocks  of  ice,  and  the  whole  scene  around  was  cold, 
dreary,  and  death-like.  In  my  mind's  eye  I  could 
already  see  the  four  corpses,  lying  on  the  icy  floor  of 
the  canvas  house ;  and  I  thought  that  if  the  lives  of 
these  men  could  only  have  been  prolonged  until  our 
arrival,  that  they  might  not  hav(.'  believed  themselves 
deserted  and  abandoned  by  those  from  whom  they  had 
a  right  to  expect  sympathy  and  assistance,  it  would 
have  afforded  no  little  consolation  both  to  them  and  to 

The  death-scene  I  had  imagined  appeared  to  be 
realized  when  wo  reached  the  door  of  the  tent.  Four 
bodies,  apparently  lifeless,  each  one  enclosed  in  a  sleep- 
ing-bag, were  lying  closely  together  in  the  little  enclo- 
sure. I  was  the  first  one  who  arrived  at  the  entrance 
of  the  tent,  and  for  a  moment  I  hesitated  to  examine 
the  bodies,  fearful  that  my  worst  apprehensions  would 
be  confirmed.  No  sound  was  heard,  not  even  a  sup- 
pressed groan,  not  even  the  spasmodic  breathing  of 
persons  in  the  grasp  of  death.  No  movement,  nor  any 
other  indication  of  life  could  be  discovered.  I  kneeled 
down  by  the  side  of  one  of  the  bodies,  which  proved  to 
be  that  of  Brooks,  the  first  officer  of  the  brig  and  com- 
mander of  the  exploring  party,  and,  with  feelings  of 
inexpressible  joy,  I  found  that  he  still  lived.  He  fixed 
his  eyes  on  me  and  gave  me  a  faint  smile  of  recogni- 
tion.    I  sprung  to  the  door  of  the  tent  and  shouted  to 


I  of  as- 
le  tent 
)etweeu 
as  cold, 
I  could 
floor  of 
lives  of 
fitil  our 
mselvcs 
hey  had 
t  would 
1  and  to 

I    to  be 
;.     Four 
a  sleep- 
Ic  cnclo- 
r>ntrance 
examine 
would 
a  sup- 
ling  of 
nor  any 
kneeled 
oved  to 
nd  com- 
ings of 
e  fixed 


is 


recogni- 
)ut,ed  to 


n  .  * 


f^ 

m 


*^f:T«4^'^t'«W*.<*' 


l^'t 


n. 


■i\      .'!■> 


>i-n«fe' 


:j!f 


;;soi 


T»iTJ~r-^Ti 


ORCfNILL  EXFLORINQ  IXPEDITIOIT. 


in 


my  companions,  who  were  still  at  some  distance,  in 
order  to  relieve  them  as  soon  as  possible  from  their 
pninful  suspense  and  to  encoarngo  them  to  hasten 
onward.  I  then  examined  the  other  three  bodies,  and 
found  that  the  vital  spark  still  lingered  in  them  all. 

The  four  persons  whose  lives  we  came  scarcely  soon 
enough  to  save,  were  Brooks,  Wilson,  Schubert,  and 
Baker.  As  soon  as  Dr.  Kane  and  the  others  of  our 
party  arrived  at  the  tent,  che  Doctor  professionally 
examined  the  sick  people,  and  found  that  the  condition 
of  two  of  them,  at  least,  was  critical.  All  were  badly 
frozen,  but  Schubert  and  Baker  were  believed  to  be 
beyond  all  chance  of  recovery.  However,  under  Dr. 
Kane's  directions,  every  available  remedy  was  applied 
on  the  spot ;  though  it  was  evident  that  little  could  be 
done  for  the  sufferers  before  they  were  reconveyed  to 
the  brig.  A  fire  of  lard,  blubber,  wngte  paper,  &c., 
was  kindled  in  an  earthen  pan  at  the  door  of  the  tent, 
and  the  preparation  of  some  warm  broth  for  the  sick  was 
immediately  commenced.  The  sledge  which  had  been 
used  by  the  exploring  party  stood  near  the  tent ;  on 
this  we  placed  our  invalid  companions,  after  the  broth 
had  been  administered  to  them  in  homoeopathic  doses, 
and  having  rested  ourselves  for  half  an  hour,  we  started 
on  our  return.  The  dangerous  condition  of  the  sick 
persons  required  that  we  should  hasten  back  to  our 
vessel,  where  they  might  meet  with  those  attentions 
which  their  situation  demanded. 

When  we  were  all  ready  to  begin  our  backward 
journey,  Dr.  Kane,  in  a  short  but  affecting  prayer, 


S';^  ,- 


,-V     .-.JJ.I-r-,-:;.^^,  __y^ 


142 


QODISlT^g  NABBATIYll  OF  THB 


earnestly  recommended  our  party  to  the  protet^en 
of  Divine  Providence.  He  acknowledged  the  merciful 
kindness  of  God,  which  had  preserved  the  lives  of 
several  of  onr  nnmher  in  a  manner  which  might  almost 
be  regarded  as  miraculous,  and  he  implored  Omnipo- 
tent  Goodness  to  mitigate  the  sufferings  of  those  who 
were  afflicted,  and  so  to  direct  us  that  we  might  escape 
the  great  danger  to  which  we  must  be  exposed  on  the 
journey  we  were  about  to  commence. 

A  feeling  of  sadness  pervaded  the  whole  party,  and  onr 
march  much  resembled  that  of  a  funeral  procession.  In 
fact,  the  sledge  we  were  dragging  was  laden  with  the 
sick  and  dying ;  and  there  was  little  room  to  doubt  that 
some  of  them  would  be  dead  before  we  could  arrive  at 
our  place  of  destination.  .  *;  vi,,vf  ^^*  .  ,1^^     , 

■       '       ,        "  '.      '         .1 


1^\'-;  r:fi*^''%  f  '     %^t      '"'"■■   . '*;i'' ■■f*:-*'    •'?  »^  i»' ,>/    '^ 


tr. 


s^j^'  :.*.',¥''-jKs--,-; 


4 


•V'( 


>".■■«?*"• 


i:i 


i»-»-52.         Vtia;.- 


:r:",' 


QBINlfELL  EXPLOBXNa  EXPEDITION. 


143 


nercifol 
lives  of 
b  almost 
Omnipo- 
LOse  who 
t  escape 
d  on  the 

,  and  onr 
sion.   In 

viith.  the 
oubt  that 

arrive  at 

t 
t 


\fi-v'-'"'* 

,-isi 

-"   --vf'  ' 

$:.- 

W 

-b.vk 

■n  mi 

i;*- 

■  .^  ■4- 4 

!if' 

■p':i ' 

■  ;*  a  ■ 

* 

^*tr'-^f' 

i*> 

^P'^  ^»  '^ 

"4    >'■ 

f    ,■  -,*'■'') 


X,--' 


S»^ISM«2 


■^^  -*^#^#^1Cri[  APTER   XIV. 


.  ''^-  ty./-.**.  *-f^i  *V^.  *>■'■' 


#t;'f||Kft:.:: 


A  TERRIBLE  JOURNEY  OVE'il  THE  ICE — SUICIDAL  DROW- 
SINESS OF  OUR  PEOPLE — THEY  BECOME  DESPERATELY 
SOMNOLENT — DR.  KANE  AND  THE  AUTHOR  TRAVEL  BY 
THEMSELVES-  THE  DOCTOR'S  VISION  OF  A  BEAR — ^THB 
author's  TI^jCBLESOMB  duties — ^HE  CARRIES  THE 
DOCTOR  ON  HIS  SHOULDER — THE  DOCTOR  MISTAKES 
HIM  FOR  A  BEAR — THE  AUTHOR  SHAVES  THE  DOCTOR 
WITH  A  JACK-KNIFE  —  STRANGE  FACT  BESPECTINa 
SPIRITUOUS  LIQUORS.         -  z 


■Si^i 


:'^:^j,4- 


'^^■■ 


As  we  had  anticipated,  our  return  to  the  brig  was 
attended  with  still  more  trouble,  hardships,  and  perils 
than  we  had  encountered  on  our  way  to  the  tent.  We 
had  a  heavy  sledge-load  of  sick  people,  five  in  number, 
including  Ohlsen,  whose  late  pedestrian  exerciRO,  while 
his  condition  was  so  unfit  for  it,  had  rendered  him  as 
helpless  as  any  of  the  others.  The  reader  may  imagine 
how  difficult  it  was  to  draw  a  sledge  with  such  a  load 
over  consolidated  masses  of  ice,  where  it  was  impossi- 
ble to  proceed  two  yards  without  ascending  a  hill  or 
sinking  into  a  hollow.  There  were  places,  and  not  a 
few  of  them,  where  every  thing  on  the  sledge,  including 
the  bodies  of  our  invalid  passengers,  had  to  be  removed 
and  laid  upon  the  ice,  while  we  lifted  the  vehicle  over 


\ 


•■v\- 


w 


QOOi^ET  8  NABKATIVE  Of  XmL 


some  obstruction  whieh  would  otherwise  have  been  in- 
surmountable. It  was  a  most  unfortunate  necessity 
which  compelled  us  frequently  to  disturb  these  suffering 
people,  several  of  whom  appeared  to  be  in  their  last 
agonies,  by  lifting  them  off  and  on  the  sledge.  In 
some  places  the  hummocks  or  ridges  of  ice  were  impas- 
sable, and  we  were  obliged  to  go  around  them,  which 
gave  us  a  longer  distance  to  travel.  The  men  worked 
with  admirable  spirit,  as  if  aware  that  it  was  a  struggle 
for  life ;  but  with  all  our  exertions,  the  rate  at  which 
we  traveled  was  little  more  than  a  mile  per  hour,  on 
an  average.  This  sort  of  progress  was  not  very  en- 
jouraging,  as  the  distance  to  the  brig  was  more  than 
forty  miltA;  and,  as  we  could  not  work  more  than 
twelve  hours  in  the  twenty- four,  it  seemed  likely  that 
we  should  be  at  least  three  days  on  the  road,  and  we 
had  scarcely  enough  provisions  to  serve  us  for  forty- 
eight  hours. 

^^  After  the  first  ten  miles  were  passed,  the  men  began 
to  show  fatigue,  and  became  so  drowsy,  that  one  or 
another  was  continually  throwing  himself  on  the  ice. 
The  scene  reminded  me  of  John  Bunyan's  account  of 
the  Enchanted  Ground,  where  men  were  desperately 
somnolent,  although  the  consequences  of  sleeping  were 
most  appalling.  Bonsall  and  Morton  begged  Dr.  Kane, 
in  the  most  pathetic  manner,  for  permission  to  take 
"  only  a  short  nap."  They  were  not  at  all  afraid  of 
freezing,  (they  said,)  for  they  did  not  feel  "  the  least 
bit  cold."  Doubtless  that  was  true  enough,  and  there 
was  so  much  the  better  reason  for  not  indulging  them 


r-,-<''TSy  ^.[.r^'T^'-i'^ff 


'■'"K^i^Wi9'p^^?*s-^'^''~  '  "■■'■"w"» 


OBnmELL  sxFLORnra  kxpei)ition. 


145 


m  their  inclination  to  slamber.  At  last  matters  cane 
to  a  crisis ;  all  hands,  except  Dr.  Kane  and  myself, 
threw  themselves  on  the  ice,  in  spite  of  all  remon- 
strances, and  were  asleep  in  a  moment.  It  was  impos- 
sible to  aronse  them ;  nothing  could  be  done  therefore 
but  to  pitch  the  tent  and  come  to  a  halt  for  the  n^ht. 
I  erected  the  tent  as  speedily  as  I  could,  and  \  .x  all 
the  people,  sick  and  well,  to  bed.  They  were  all  equally 
helpless ;  for  sleep  made  some  of  them  as  powerless  as 
sickness  did  the  others.  I  was  like  the  old  woman  who 
lived  in  the  shoe,  having  so  many  children  to  take  care 
of.  When  I  had  arranged  them  all  for  the  night,  the 
tent  was  so  much  crov  '  that  there  were  no  sort  of 
accommodations  for  bi.  Kane  and  me.  The  Doctor, 
observing  this  difficulty,  proposed  to  walk  on  nine  miles 
farther  to  the  place  where  we  had  left  the  sledge  we 
had  started  with,  and  where  we  had  deposited  another 
tent,  to  be  in  readiness  for  use  on  our  way  back.  ^ 
Considering  how  fatigued  and  benumbed  we  were  at 
the  time,  this  walk  was  a  considerable  undertaking.  I 
did  not  doubt  my  own  ability  to  endure  it,  but  I  felt 
very  apprehensive  that  the  Doctor,  (whose  constitution 
vas  by  no  means  robust,)  would  be  wholly  unequal  to 
the  task.  However,  there  was  no  alternative,  and, 
without  pausing  to  reflect  on  the  troubles  before  us,  we 
betook  ourselves  resolutely  to  the  journey.  The  inci- 
dents of  this  walk  of  nine  miles  have  been  related  by 
Dr.  Kane  in  his  published  journal ;  and  several  of  them 
are  marvelous  enough  to  surprise  every  reader.  Cer- 
tain I  am  that  they  surprised  me;  though  I  feel  well 
13 


\  >- 


■STT' 


146 


oodfiiet's  nabbativb  of  thb 


assured  that  the  Doctor  intended  to  relate  facts.  He 
states  that  the  cold  made  us  hoth  delirious.  This  is 
only  half  correct ;  only  one  of  us,  namely,  Dr.  Kane 
himself,  was  in  1  ..at  condition.  Had  we  both  lost  the 
use  of  our  senses,  we  would  most  certainly  have  perished 
on  the  way.  As  it  was,  although  I  had  possession  of 
my  reason  and  judgment  as  perfectly  as  I  have  at  this 
moment,  it  required  the  constant  exercise  of  all  my 
faculties  to  prevent  a  fatal  catastrophe.  The  Doctor 
spjaks  of  a  bear  which  *'  walked  leisurely  before  us,  and 
tore  up  a  jacket  which  McGary  had  thrown  off  on  the  out- 
ward journey.*'  "  He  tore  it  into  shreds  and  rolled  it  up 
in  a  ball,"  (says  the  Doctor,)  but  never  offered  to  inter- 
fere with  our  progress."  Now  this  story,  in  itself,  is 
improbable.  The  conduct  here  ascribed  to  the  polar 
bear  is  not  characteristic  of  that  animal,  which  would 
be  very  unlikely  to  waste  his  time  in  playing  poodle- 
like tricks  with  a  sailor's  jacket.  This  bear,  in  fact, 
was  a  creation  of  the  Doctor's  fancy.  He  spoke  of  it 
at  the  time  when  he  supposed  that  he  saw  it ;  but, 
although  my  eyesight  was  much  better  than  his,  I  saiY 
nothing  of  the  kind.  He  talked  incoherently  during 
the  whole  time  of  our  walk,  except  when  he  fell  into  a 
state  of  utter  insensibility.  I  supported  him  on  my 
arm  when  he  was  able  to  walk ;  and  when  he  swooned 
away,  as  he  did  two  or  three  times,  I  carried  him  on 
my  shoulder.  At  last,  with  inconceivable  exertion  on 
my  part,  we  reached  the  place  where  the  sledge  and 
tent  had  been  left ;  and  here  new  difficulties  presented 
themselves;     I  was  obliged  to  erect  the  tent,  in  ord* 


GBINNELL  E3JPL0BIN0  EXPEDITION 


147 


to  make  it  serviceable,  and,  at  the  same  time,  to  keep 
the  Doctor  awake ;  for  he  was  so  nearly  frozen,  that 
be  was  already  in  that  torpid  state  which  immediately 
precedes  death.  Before  I  could  get  a  pole  set  up,  I 
was  obliged  to  step  aside  and  give  my  commander  a 
hearty  shake  with  one  hand,  while  I  held  the  tent-pole 
ia  the  other.  And  so  the  work  of  pitching  the  tent 
proceeded  with  frequent  interruptions,  until  the  job  was 
finished.  But  while  this  work  was  in  progress,  the  bear, 
which  had  been  haunting  the  Doctor's  imagi  wtion 
daring  our  recent  walk,  now  seemed  to  be  identified 
with  my  unworthy  self;  for,  in  his  half-conscious  oon- 
dition,  he  several  times  called  on  his  favorite  men, 
Bonsall,  Morton,  &c.,  to  shoot  that  bear  which  wa9 
"rummaging  in  tho  tent." 

When  I  had  succeeded  in  putting  the  tent  up,  I  has- 
tened to  prepare  the  Doctor  for  a  safe  and  comfortable 
nap  in  his  sleeping-bag.  Among  other  preparations 
which  I  found  necessary  for  this  object,  was  cutting 
away  with  my  jack-knife  his  beard  and  woolen  tippet, 
which  had  been  frozen  together  in  a  solid  mass.  This 
rough  shaving  operation  must  have  been  painful,  but 
it  did  not  arouse  him  to  a  full  state  of  consciousness. 
Having  chafed  his  limbs  to  restore  animation,  and 
packed  him  up  in  furs  and  blankets,  I  then — fatigued 
and  exhausted  as  I  was — kindled  a  blubber  fire  at  the 
door  of  the  tent,  and  began  to  prepare  some  coffee  and 
"scouse"  for  my  commander's  refreshment  when  he 
should  awake.  The  "  land-lubbers"  will  please  to  un- 
derstand that  SCGUS6  is  a  marine  article  of  diet,  com- 


148 


qodfrct's  naarativb  of  thb  ^ 


N. 


posed  of  salted  pork  and  hard  biscuit,  boiled  together 
and  reduced  to  a  sort  of  hash.  It  is  a  dish  which,  for 
want  of  any  thing  moro  suitable,  is  often  prepared  for 
invalids  on  shipboard.     ^ '^f««j*!toi^i.t^  >uh^^:ki..^iR„ 

*  The  Doctor  slept  heavily  for  about  two  hours,  when 
he  awoke  and  complained  of  feeling  very  unwell.  He 
requested  me  to  give  him  some  spirits,  and  directed  me 
where  to  find  it,  in  a  case-bottle  among  the  baggage. 
As  the  water  which  I  had  kept  on  the  fire  for  the  pur- 
pose of  making  coffee  was  now  somewhat  heated,  I  gave 
him  a  stiflf  dram  of  warm  "toddy,"  which  appeared  to 
do  him  good,  and  I  now  observed,  with  great  pleasure, 
that  he  had  perfectly  recovered  the  use  of  his  senses. 
He  soon  fell  into  another  profound  slumber,  from  which 
I  aroused  him  when  his  coffee  and  "  scouse"  were  ready. 
Having  thus  paid  all  necessary  attentions  to  my  com- 
mander, I  laid  myself  down  and  slept  for  about  two 
hours.  I  was  then  awakened  by  Dr.  Kane,  who  called 
to  me  and  requested  me  to  go  out  and  see  if  the  others 
of  our  party  were  approaching.  I  looked  out  accord- 
ingly, but  saw  nothing  of  them ;  however,  as  I  thought 
that  they  must  soon  come,  I  began  to  cook  something 
for  their  entertainment  when  they  arrived.  I  had  pre- 
pared a  pot  of  chocolate  and  some  soup  when  they 
came  in  sight.  Those  of  our  people  who  were  well  had 
derived  much  benefit  from  their  night's  repose,  and 
when  they  overtook  Dr.  Kane  and  myself  they  all  ap- 
peared quite  freshened  up  and  in  pretty  good  spirits. 
The  case  was  very  different  with  our  sick  companions, 
xiin  leuD  in  wFiiuii 


iney  siepii  fiau  Deen  much  crowded 


l1 


V--1    1 — — 


QBmNHiL  XXFLOBIMO  EXPEDITION. 


149 


during  the  nigbt,  as  all  of  oar  traveling  party,  except 
Dr.  Kane  and  I,  urere  packed  in  it.  In  consequence 
of  the  crowding,  the  interior  of  the  tent  hecame  quite 
warm,  and  this  circumstance  produced  a  thaw  in  the 
frozen  limbs  of  our  invalids.  Before  this  change,  they 
bad  not  been  sensible  of  pain,  but  now  their  agonies 
became  very  acute,  causing  them  to  pass  the  night  in 
torture,  and  morning  brought  them  no  relief.  The 
feet  and  legs  of  Schubert  and  Baker  soon  mortified. 

I  reported  the  arrival  of  our  people  to  Dr.  Kane,  who 
arose  to  give  them  a  welcome.  The  meal  I  had  pre- 
pared was  served  out  to  them,  and  a  proper  allowance 
of  liquor  was  given  to  each  man.  I  will  here  take  no- 
tice of  a  fact  which  struck  me  as  very  remarkable,  and 
which,  as  I  think,  has  never  been  mentioned  by  any 
other  arctic  traveler.  No  matter  how  much  a  man  may 
have  been  addicted  to  the  use  of  ardent  spirits,  he  sel- 
dom p.hows  an  extravagant  appetite  for  that  kind  of 
liquid  refreshment  when  he  is  traveling  in  those  regions 
of  the  extreme  north.  Therey  (strange  as  it  may  ap- 
pear,) cold  water  is  generally  preferred  before  any 
other  kind  of  beverage.  It  is  observable,  likewise,  that 
the  native  inhabitants  of  the  polar  regions,  namely,  the 
Esquimaux,  show  no  predilection  for  alcoholic  liquors  |* 
and  in  this  respect  they  differ  from  all  other  savages.' 
It  appears  to  me  that  the  disposition  to  reject  spirituous 
liquors  in  those  climes  is  instinctive  ;  and  I  argue  from 
thence  that  it  is  a  mistake  to  suppose  that  ardent  spirits 
are  beneficial  to  a  man  who  is  much  exposed  to  an  ex- 
cessively cold  atmosphere.    I  always  found  that  I  could 


13* 


150 


OODFBST^S  NABBATITE  Of  THS 


endure  the  cold  much  better  when  I  drank  nothing  but 
water  or  some  other  non-stimulating  liquid,  such  as  tea 
or  chocolate.  I  have  observed,  moreover,  that  the 
drinking  of  distilled  spirits,  even  in  small  quantities, 
will  often  induce  or  aggravate  those  fits  of  insanity  to 
which  arctic  travelers  are  liable.  The  small  ration  of 
liquor  which  was  dealt  out  to  our  people  on  the  occasion 
to  which  I  now  have  reference,  made  them  behave  in  a 
frantic  manner,  and  indulge  themselves  m  a  wild  jollity, 
which,  considering  the  situation  of  our  sick  comrades, 
was  certainly  ill-timed  as  well  as  extravagant.       '  'h 


■i^T. 


DOGS  TEARING  A  WALRUS  TO  PIECES. 


?-.'-    I        J.i': 


'^t     '     f^i     ..'/■*    )/."■  ^l- 


*•     v*w^^*':l*- 


OBIMM£LL  EXPLOBINO  £.T£P£1UTI0M 


151 


'...Ti..  ..• 


V'> 


?^    ••. 


CHAPTER  XV. 


■<(i,,>r^<.>  ^'jflvil^^Ht;:;  rvf. 


"*'■:»  .•.!■!'-" 


RBTURN  OF  THE  RESCUE  PARTT — OUR  GREAT  I>ANv  fiH 
A!  3  PROVIDENTIAL  DELIVERANCE— THE  WHOLE  C'M- 
PANY  BECOME  DELIRIOUS — STRANGE  PHASES  OV  IN- 
SANITY— THE  author's  FEELINGS  OF  DESPERATION  — 
TERRIBLE  SUFFERINGS  OF  HIS  HALF-FROZEN  COMPAN- 
IONS— ARRIVAL  AT  THE  BRIG — DEATH  AND  BURIAL  OF 
SCHUBERT  AND  BAKER— WE  ARE  VISITED  BY  SAVAGE 
ESQUIMAUX — HANS  CHRISTIAN'S   ROMANTIC  LOVE  AF- 


FAIR. 


;i*^Y''  •^•i-- 


WhiIiE  our  comrades  were  following  after  Dr.  Kune 
and  myself,  they  were  much  puzzled  by  the  occasional 
appearance  of  only  one  man's  tracks  in  the  snow.  Thoy 
wondered  if  the  Doctor  and  I  had  been  amusing  our- 
selves by  trying  an  experiment  vhinh  is  ocmmon  among 
the  North  American  Indians,  who,  in  order  to  conceal 
their  numbers  from  their  pursuing  enemies,  walk  in 
single  file,  each  one  treading  in  his  predecessor's  foot- 
steps. Our  people  stated  that  they  sometimes  found 
but  one  pair  of  tracks  for  two  or  three  miles  together ; 
and  this  account  surprised  me,  for  I  really  was  not 
aware  that  I  had  carried  the  Doctor  so  far  ''at  a 
stretch."    Dr.  Kane,  in  his  published  journal,  while 


A 


152 


aODFBrf  8  MAROATIVE  Of  TBI 


alluding  to  my  services  on  this  occasion,  says :  "  God' 
frey,  with  whom  the  memory  of  this  day's  work  may 
atone  for  many  faults  of  a  later  time,  had  a  better  eye 
than  myself,"  &o.  Had  the  Doctor's  extreme  modesty 
allowed  him  to  place  a  proper  estimate  on  the  value  of 
his  own  life,  he  might  have  thought,  perhaps,  that  the 
assistance  I  then  rendered  him  deserved  a  more  hand- 
some acknowledgment.  As  for  *'  the  many  faults  of  a 
later  time"  to  which  he  refers,  I  shall  come  to  the  con* 
fessional  in  this  volume,  and  the  reader  shall  know  the 
full  extent  of  my  guilt.  Then,  it  may  be,  when  I  have 
expressed  all  the  penitence  which  the  case  may  seem 
to  require,  the  public  will  give  me  absolution,  though 
my  commander  himself  would  have  devoted  me  to  capi- 
tal punishment ! 

After  we  had  refreshed  ourselves  with  food  and  rest, 
we  started  for  the  brig,  from  which,  according  to  oar 
calculation,  we  were  now  about  twenty-five  miles.  It 
is  impossible  to  give  the  reader  any  description  of  the 
horrors  of  this  part  of  our  journey.  The  route  was  so 
toilsome,  on  account  of  the  roughness  of  the  ice,  that 
the  greatest  speed  we  could  make  was  less  than  a  mile 
and  a  half  per  hour.  The  labor  of  hauling  the  sledge, 
laden  with  five  invalids  and  the  baggage,  tents,  &c., 
wearied  the  men  out ;  they  were  obliged  to  make  fre- 
quent halts,  being  so  overcome  with  fatigue  that  they 
fell  on  the  ice,  panting  for  breath  and  totally  exhausted. 
In  the  mean  time,  the  shrieks  and  groans  of  our  sick 
people,  who  endured  the  most  excruciating  torments, 
harassed  our  minds  and  distressed  us  infinitely  more 


I 


i:  "God. 
rork  may 
>etter  eye 
9  modesty 
)  value  of 
I,  that  the 
ore  hand- 
aults  of  a 

0  the  con. 
know  the 

len  I  have 
may  seem 
}n,  though 
ae  to  capi- 

1  and  rest, 
ing  to  oor 
miles.  It 
ion  of  the 
ute  was  80 
le  ice,  that 
hftn  a  mile 
ibe  sledge, 
Itents,  &c., 

make  fre- 
that  they 
izhaustcd. 
if  our  sick 
torments, 
litely  more 


11 


yiv-^m-  ''^■^li'i^''^ 


than  on 

occasioo 

— were 

panioDf 

gibbered 

mimicke 

howled  1 

of  insan 

laDatic  1 

frightfal 

niacs  we 

ing  and 

all  wouk 

when,  as 

another  ( 

of  mania 

the  othei 

Never    I 

clination 

for  some 

myself,  a 

the  prec: 

which  8e€ 

Buffering. 

but  then 

which  I  \ 

It  is  in 

a  troop  0 

to  condu< 

Yet  it  is  I 


OBWHILL  IXPLORTWO  IXVIDITIOIf . 


166 


than  our  own  toils  and  corporeal  sufferings.  On  this 
occasion  I  believe  our  whole  company— myself  included 
— were  seised  with  frensy.  I  know  that  all  my  com* 
panions  were  frantic,  for  they  laughed  immoderately, 
gibbered,  uttered  the  most  frightful  imprecations, 
mimicked  the  screams  and  groans  of  the  invalids, 
howled  like  wild  beasts,  and,  in  short,  exhibited  a  scene 
of  insane  fury  which  I  have  never  seen  equaled  in  any 
Innatic  asylum.  After  the  lapse  of  a  few  minutes  tht 
frightful  hubbub  would  suddenly  cease ;  the  raving  ma- 
niacs were  changed  to  sullen  and  moping  idiots,  weep* 
ing  and  blubbering  like  children ;  and  in  this  condition 
all  would  move  on  mechanically  for  perhaps  half  a  mile, 
when,  as  if  all  were  actuated  by  one  disorderly  spirit, 
another  outburst  would  take  place,  and  the  former  scene 
of  maniacal  fury  was  re-enacted.  If  I  was  as  mad  as 
the  others,  my  madness  was  of  the  melancholy  order. 
Never  before  or  since  have  I  felt  such  a  strong  in- 
clination to  commit  suicide.  I  looked  about  anxiously 
for  some  chasm  in  the  ice  into  which  I  could  throw 
myself,  and  so  put  an  end  to  my  intolerable  misery, 
the  precise  nature  of  which  I  could  not  discern,  but 
which  seemed  to  be  altogether  disconnected  from  bodily 
Buffering.  I  was  not  conscious  of  any  corporeal  paiu, 
but  there  was  an  anguish  of  the  mind,  or  of  the  soul, 
which  I  will  not  protend  to  describe. 

It  is  indeed  a  most  wonderful  circumstance  that  such 
a  troop  of  madmen  (not  one  of  whom  was  sane  enongb^ 
to  conduct  the  others,)  could  find  their  way  to  the  brig. 
Yet  it  is  evident  that  we  must  have  taken  the  straight- 


*i 


156 


GODFREY'S   NARRATIVE  OF  THE 


est  course ;  and  we  could  not  have  made  the  journey  in 
less  time,  probably,  if  we  had  been  guided  and  con- 
troled  by  the  soundest  reason  and  judgment.  Never- 
theldss,  we  consumed  more  than  fourteen  hours  in  trav- 
eling  the  last  twenty  miles.  During  thiv^  walk,  brandv 
was  occasionally  administered  to  the  men  in  very  small 
doses,  each  one  receiving  not  more  than  a  tablespoon- 
ful  a';  a  time.  But  although  this  stimulus  was  used 
very  cautiously,  I  believe  it  did  much  more  harm  than 
good  ;  and  I  attribute  to  this  very  cause  a  good  deal  of 
the  frenzy  which  prevailed  among  our  party. 

When  we  came  within  eight  or  ten  miles  of  the  brig, 
some  of  us  partially  recovered  our  rationality.  Dr. 
L^ane  was  then  self-possessed  enough  to  order  Bonsall 
to  hasten  forward  to  carry  to  Dr.  Hayes  the  intelli- 
gence of  our  approach,  and  to  bring  a  dog-sledge,  with 
some  bottles  of  hot  water  and  other  articles  for  the  use 
of  the  sick.  Bonsall  had  become  sane  enough  to  e::- 
ecute  this  order  in  a  businesslike  manner ;  and  so 
promptly  did  he  perform  his  task,  that  when  we  had 
proceeded  at  our  very  slow  pace  three  miles  further, 
and  rested  for  about  an  hour,  he  met  us  with  the  arti- 
cles required.  Having  no  load  to  carry,  he  traversed 
the  route  quickly,  and  the  dog-team  brought  him  back 
with  the  celerity  of  lightning.  As  soon  as  the  dog- 
sledge  arrived,  Dr.  Kane  entered  it,  and  telling  us  that 
he  was  goiiig  to  make  preparations  for  the  reception 
of  the  sick,  he  set  off  at  full  speed,  and  so  reached  the 
brig  at  least  two  hours  sooner  than  we  did.  We  all  ar- 
rived at  last,  after  an  absence  of  three  days  and  nights, 


URINNELL  EXPLORING    EXPEDITION. 


157 


according  to  the  mode  A  computing  time  in  the  tem- 
perate latitudes.  The  average  temperature  during  the 
whole  of  this  time  was  about  40°  below  zero. 

Soon  after  our  arrival  a  consultation  over  our  sick 
men  was  held  by  Doctors  Kane  and  Hayes.  They 
ascertained  that  the  condition  of  Schubert  and  Baker 
was  nearly  hopeless.  Both  of  these  persons  died  soon 
after  their  return,  and  were  buried  on  one  of  the  islands 


m 


BURIAL-PLACB  OF  SCHUBERT  AND  BAKER. 


adjacent  to  our  winter  harbor.    Schubert  was  a  French- 
man ;  ho  had  shipped  on  board  of  the  Advance  as 
cook;  but,  to  his  credit  be  it  said,  he  was  always 
ad  nights,    I  willing  to  perform  any  duties  which  the  exigencies  of 

14 


158 


Godfrey's  narrative  of  the 


♦   .  . 


r 


the  service  required.  Baker  was  a  native  of  Pennsyl- 
vania.  These  two  unhonored  victims  of  the  exploring 
mania  were  buried  side  by  side,  according  to  the  ils- 
quimaux  stylo  of  sepulture,  the  bodies  being  deposited 
above  ground,  and  covered  with  arches  of  stones,  ce< 
mented  together  by  pouring  water  over  them,  the  fluid 
immediately  becoming  solidified  by  the  cold.  The 
other  persons  who  were  frozen,  will  probably  be  crip- 
pled for  life,  as  some  parts  of  their  feet  were  amputated, 
as  the  only  means  of  preserving  their  lives. 

A  day  or  two  after  our  return,  we  had  a  visit  from  a 
party  of  Esquimaux  savages,  who  resided  at  a  village 
or  settlement  about  ninety  miles  from,  our  harbor. 
These  cuvious  people  came  in  dog-sledges,  and  brought 
with  them  a  quantity  of  fresh  meat,  the  flesh  of  seals 
and  walruses,  which  they  wished  to  exchange  for  knives, 
needles,  beads,  copper  jewelry,  and  other  knick-kaacks. 
We  were  much  amused  by  the  jovial  and  eccentric  be- 
havior of  these  savages,  and  they  were  no  less  delighted 
with  our  company,  testifying  their  pleasure  by  dancing 
around  us  and  screaming,  "  Cab-lumaik !" — (white 
men.)  They  showed  a  disposition  to  steal  every  porta- 
ble article  that  came  in  their  way ;  if  detected  in  the 
act,  they  would  pass  it  ^ff  as  a  joke,  never  showing  any 
signs  of  shame  or  anger  when  the  stolen  article  was 
taken  from  them.  '^ 

t|  Among  these  visitors  was  an  Esquimaux  named 
i&ovatong,  who  had  formerly  lived  at  the  Danish  settle- 
ment called  Proven,  on  the  south-western  coast  of 
Greenland.     While  residing  at  that  place  he  had  es- 


™n  ar^-v^^"/-'^! 


ip,_ipfpii 


/immi^'t  ■4mt^^^ 


l^  4^.-^ 


,"^>5 


' .''Jrt\-^it4^m  mmkwt'f-^  i'*'r¥ 


■Vif-'M 


M 


•i'''\. 


.«#.; 


H 


. -c',l..'.i.    ..   7^  -.in.^'ti.M 


GUNNILL  EXPLOaiMQ  XXPIDITIOl*? 


161 


poused  a  Danish  woman,  by  whom  he  had  two  daughters, 
who  were  far  superior  in  personal  appearance  to  the 
females  of  the  unmixed  Esquimaux  biead.  The  father 
of  these  girls,  the  aforesaid  Novatong,  had  tried  civi- 
lization for  awhile,  and  did  not  like  it ;  he  therefore  re- 
lapsed into  the  barbarism  of  his  ancestors,  and  took  up 
bis  residence  among  the  savage  tribe  in  whose  society 
we  found  him.  To  the  settlement  in  which  this  renegade 
lived,  Hans  Christian,  (Dr.  Kane's  Esquimaux  pet,)  was 
several  times  sent  to  negotiate  for  provisions.  On  his 
very  first  visit  he  had  the  misfortune  to  be  victimized 
by  the  killing  charms  of  Miss  Choolakee,  (I  think  that 
was  her  name,)  Novatong's  youngest  and  fairest 
daughter.  This  young  lady,  in  spite  of  her  hideous 
Esquimaux  dress,  which  would  have  marred  the  ap- 
pearance of  the  brightest  angel  in  Paradise,  was  really 
a  fascinating  object ;  and  I,  having  had  similar  expe- 
riences of  my  own,  was  prepared  to  excuse  Hans  for 
being  completely  carried  away  by  the  impetuosity  of 
his  passion.  Indeed  it  appeared  to  me  to  be  a  very 
admirable  thing  for  so  much  amatory  heat  to  be  ex- 
hibited in  that  icy  region,  lying  beyond  the  78th  parallel 
of  North  latitude.  Hans  entrusted  me  with  the  secret 
of  his  love,  and  declared  his  intention  to  elope  from  the 
brig  at  the  first  opportunity,  thus  forfeit !..g  all  his 
chances  of  naval  preferment,  in  order  to  become  the 
happy  husband  of  the  irresistible  Choolakee.  I  neither 
commended  his  resolution  nor  attempted  to  dissuade 
him  from  it,  but  promised  to  keep  his  secret ;  and,  to 
do  this  more  cfTectually,  it  was  agreed  that  there  should 
14* 


^Nv' 


162 


OOBtKXT'B  NABll  VTIVl  Of  THl  * 


appear  to  ^ '  a^Jie  animosity  between  ti8.  This  part 
of  our  plan  ^da  so  well  carried  out,  that  Dr.  Kum 
appears  to  have  become  appTehensive  that  I  would  Ja 
Hans  some  personal  injury.  I  think  the  Doctor  hints, 
somewhere  in  his  book,  S^hat  he  was  afraid  that  I  wou.d 
wayla}'  the  young  man  imd  assassinate  him,  or  comoiit 
some  ether  horrible  outrage.  Thus  it  Bi^ms  to  have 
been  laj  peculiar  ill-luck  to  be  constantly  miscof  struei 
by  my  captain.  The  termination  cf  Hans  (Jhrlstian'a 
love  advsaturo  will  be  reksted  in  the  sequel,  as  it  has  a 
circumstantial  ao  ;iyo<;iin  with  mj  narrative. 


^ifH  t,    >>.    .,::;■■ 


<-f 


:t^ 


^•»;*;*.K    #;-  v^.ij, 


*'«A    i^r^'^'U^ft^'  ^^^W    sf-^-  '^t^'"'  ":.. 


:i.'^:    .f^.i^.-''.:-^^-:  ^.^:.^:.-^^>J:-^,^;»^.^ 


aiONNlUi   KXPIiOBIMO  SXPIDtTION. 


168 


•<(■'■  ■;    ■ 


;i#^- 


?>■ 


'm'-n 


■'«&  M:- 


?:'^|[t¥  ^'%«'-Sfe*'- 


4:1^^ 


CHAPTER  XVr. 


.■^■ 


DR.  HATES  AND  THE  AUTnOR  CROSS  SMITH'S  SOUND-^' 
TKOl^BLES  AST*  DISASTERS — SUCCESSFUL  EXPLORATIONS 
—HORRORS  OP  STARVATION — ^THB  AUTHOR*S  BOOTS 
AND  BREECHES  USED  FOR  FEEDING  DOGS — HARD  FARE 
—THE  GRAND  EXCURSION  OF  THE  SEASON — SICKNESS 
PREVAILS — DANGEROUS  ILLNESS  OF  DR.  KANE — BEARS 
STEAL  OUR  PROVISIONS — OUR  DESPERATE  CONDITION 
—WE  ARE  OBLIGED  TO  TURN  BACK—VARIOUS  AFFLIC- 
TIONS. 


The  greater  number  of  our  men  were  disabled  by  the 
late  disastrous  exploring  experiments.  Dr.  Hayes  and 
I  were  almost  the  only  persons  on  board  of  the  Advance, 
who,  at  this  time,  (about  tLe  middle  of  May,)  enjoyed 
perfectly  good  health.  Dr.  Kane  wished  to  send  an 
expedition  across  the  Sound  to  examine  the  coast  north- 
ward of  Gape  Sabine.  This  attempt  had  been  made 
several  times  without  success,  owing  to  various  accidents 
or  want  of  energy  on  Vt-  pari  cf  those  who  undertook 
the  task.  Dr.  Ha;  .,*»  and  I,  finding  ourselves  ir^  very 
good  health  as  aforesaid,  cheerfully  agreed  to  make 
another  effort  to  carry  out  this  project,  the  chief  pur- 
pose of  which  was  to  determine  the  position  of  the  Cape, 


-^"■ 


164 


GODFREY'S  NARRATHE  OP  THE 


and  its  bearings  with  reference  to  the  newly  discovered 
coast-line  to  the  North  and  East.  We  had  a  dog-team 
well  trained,  and  a  good  strong  sledge ;  and  being  fur- 
nished with  necessary  provisions  and  equipments,  we 
commenced  our  journey  on  the  20th  day  of  May.  The 
passage  across  Smith's  Sound  was  extremely  difficult, 
almost  every  yard  of  the  way  presenting  some  formida- 
ble obstruction,  such  as  I  have  heretofore  spoken  of  in 
my  accounts  of  similar  expeditions,  bat  we  succeeded 
at  last  in  accomplishing  our  object.  The  distance  in 
a  straight  line,  across  the  Sound,  is  not  more  than 
eighty  miles ;  but  we  extended  our  researches  for  two 
hundred  miles  along  the  coast,  and  thus  made  an  im- 
portant addition  to  the  chart  of  that  locality.  Two 
days  after  we  started,  Dr.  Hayes  was  seized  with  snow- 
blindness  and  required  considerable  nursing  and  attend- 
ance. Our  supply  of  provisions  was  calculated  to  serve 
us  but  for  ten  days ;  this  circumstance  and  the  illness  of 
Dr.  Hayes  necessarily  abbreviated  our  journey,  very 
much  to  my  regret,  as  I  felt  a  strong  inclination  to  go 
further.  Many  of  our  failures  in  these  traveling  ad- 
ventures were  owing  to  a  deficiency  of  supplies,  or  to 
some  error  or  oversight  in  making  preparations  for  the 
journeys.  I  have  very  little  doubt  that,  if  our  outfit 
had  been  more  complete,  I  could  have  gone  beyond  the 
82d  parallel  (how  much  further  I  will  not  say,)  on  the 
occasion  to  which  I  now  refer.  We  exhausted  seven 
days'  provisions  before  we  commenced  our  return,  leaving 
not  half  enough  for  our  backward  trip.  The  harness  of 
our  dogs  was  very  defective,  the  straps  breaking  con- 


i 


itSii'k 


^-\-  ,. 


',-«''j*h 


jy    ,    ?    tj  ift 


.St-  «'»*-'1 


^»  -^^^tiiaJ-Jt-HS  ■  J.*.?iEJ*H*Jri* 


#'11-* 


-?»«t-     =l^>%' 


r, 


•vr^. 


!*^.- 


f-*    -.J 


^;^yjt!^- 


f 'm 


Vt-i. 


. .  s      *^'. 


•T-" 


,,4{»'  im      -■4w*t$-<«      .  <u!>|*J  •ffff' <*»<«y5Br  ««wh~ 


■*  r  ir*i»''*  '>,«*«  "7  "■■ 


f'-'  "-  ■'"■ 


QRIMNXLL  EXPIORINO  EXPEDlTlOfV. 


167 


tinually  and  thus  occasioning  much  trouble  and  delay. 
Besides,  one  of  our  dogs  had  the  vexatious  trick  of 
eating  his  own  harness.  In  fact,  the  animals  were  in  a 
starving  condition  during  the  latter  part  of  the  journey. 
When  our  stock  of  proyisions  failed,  necessity  compet- 
ed me  to  cut  up  my  seal-skin  boots  and  a  portion  of 
my  leather  trousers  also,  for  the  maintenance  of  the 
dogs.  Having  thus  denuded  my  lower  extremities  in  a 
measure,  the  exposure  occasioned  serere  pains  in  my 
limbs,  (rheumatic  pains,  perhaps,)  and  this  was  the  only 
sickness  I  experiencea  during  the  whole  time  of  my 
sojournment  in  the  polar  regions.  On  our  way  back  to 
the  brig,  I  wore  nothing  on  my  legs  but  the  scanty 
remains  of  my  dog-eaten  trowsers  and  a  pair  of  seal- 
skin stock '^gs.  But  ull  this  sacrifice  of  my  wearing 
apparel  aff.  led  little  elief  to  the  ever-craving  appe- 
tites of  our  quadrupeds.  On  our  way  back,  they  were 
so  desperately  ^lungry  that  I  suspect  they  would  have 
devoured  Dr.  Hayes  nd  myself,  if  the  thought  had 
once  occurred  to  them  that  we  might  be  used  as  articles 
of  diet.  My  traveling  companion  and  I  were  almost 
as  hungry  as  our  dogs.  We  lived  for  two  days  on  a 
cake  of  raw  chocolate  ;  and  when  this  was  consumed, 
we  made  one  meal  off  the  tops  of  Dr.  Hayes'  boots, 
which  we  cut  into  small  pieces  and  dipped  r\  lamp  oil 
to  render  the  morsels  more  savory.  A  few  hours  after 
we  had  made  this  luxurious  repast  we  arrived  at  the 
brig,  from  which  we  had  been  absent  twelve  days. 

I  made  two  or  three  other  excursions,  (shorter  ones 
than  that  iust  mentioned.^  with  varioug  members  of  our 


168 


.->  CtODFREY'B   NARRATIVE   Of  THE 


company.  McQarj  and  I  started  with  a  dog-sledge 
and  team,  to  ascertain  if  our  provision  depots  Avere  all 
safe.  We  encountered  a  heavy  snow-storm,  which 
blinded  us,  and  compelled  us  to  return  before  we  could 
execute  the  duty  assigned  to  us.  Snow-blindness  is 
one  of  the  great  inconveniences  to  which  arctic  travel- 
ers are  exposed.  Besides  the  total  deprivation  of  sight, 
which  is  always  one  effect  of  the  disease,  it  is  extremely 
painful,  producing  a  sensation  like  that  which  might  be 
caused  by  piercing  the  eye-balls  with  needles  or  lancets. 
The  traveler  who  is  affected  with  this  malady  becomes 
as  helpless  as  any  other  blind  man,  and  requires  a 
leader.  MoGary  and  I,  being  both  stricken  at  once, 
and  having  nobody  to  guide  us,  were  obliged  to  trust 
to  the  instinct  of  the  dogs  to  conduct  us  back  to  the 
vessel.  Our  canine  conductors,  finding  themselves 
abandoned  to  their  own  discretion,  and  perceiving  that 
we  were  not  able  to  correct  their  errors,  followed  their 
own  inclination  in  returning.  When  nothing  allured 
them  out  of  the  way,  they  went  on  steadily  enough ; 
but,  being  at  all  times  more  intent  on  indulging  their 
appetites  than  any  thing  else,  they  often  went  aside  for 
the  purpose  of  hunting  seals.  These  amphibious  ani- 
mals often  appear  on  the  surface  of  the  ice,  but  always 
near  some  hole,  into  which  they  retreat  as  soon  as 
danger  approaches.  The  dogs  can  scent  the  seals  at 
the  distance  of  half  a  mile,  and,  if  they  are  not  restrained, 
they  immediately  start  off  in  pursuit  of  their  prey,  the 
sledge  which  they  are  dragging  after  them  and  thcii 


-V,.-. 


QRINNELL  RXPLOBINO   EXPEDITION. 


169 


tlt'ivcr,  appearing,  at  such  times,  to  be  altogether  for- 
gotten* .!<»'f  •  .     ViVli     1    V*.  ...  ^^•if^^^i^\ 


DOa-TXAM — DRIYKB  8N0W-BLIKDKD. 


The  seals,  which  are  always  very  much  on  the  alert, 
generally  plunge  into  the  hole  in  the  ice,  and  bo  make 
their  escape,  but  sometimes  the  dogs  come  upon  them 
80  suddenly  that  one  of  them  is  caught  and  torn  to 
pieces  by  the  voracious  quadrupeds.  Occasionally  a 
dog  bites  a  piece  out  of  a  seal  just  as  the  latter  is 
making  his  plunge. 

Soon  after  the  return  of  McGary  and  myself,  another 
party,  consisting  of  McGary,  Hickey,  Riley,  Stephen- 
son, and  Morton  started  on  a  northern  excursion,  with 
15 


* 


no 


GODFREY'S  NARRATIVE  OF  THE 


a  load  of  provisions,  ivhich  they  viere  instructed  to  de- 
posit at  some  convenient  place,  for  future  use.  On  ihe 
following  day,  wh.  April  25th,  Dr.  Kane  and  I  fitted 
up  a  dog-sledge  and  started  on  the  same  track.  We 
overtook  our  comrades  on  the  open  ice,  near  Cape 
Frederick,  sixty-five  miles  from  the  brig.  Several  of 
the  party  had  been  stricken  with  snow-blindness.   While 


A   BEAR  VISITS  A  TENT 


they  were  sleeping  in  their  tent  on  the  preceding  niglit, 
a  bear  forced  his  way  into  the  tent  door,  and  startled 
the  sleepers  by  rubbing  his  nose  against  their  persons. 
Hickey  struck  him  on  the  nose  with  a  boat-hook,  ai  ^ 


QUINMELL  EXPLORINO  EXPEDITION. 


171 


Bonsall  snatched  up  a  rifle  and  shot  him  dead  on  the 
spot.  They  hac<  all  made  themselves  sick  hy  eating 
the  flesh  of  this  animal,  which  appears  to  have  been  too 
gross  for  their  delicate  organs  of  digestion.  ^  ,  ^ 

Dr.  Kane's  principal  purpose,  on  this  occasion,  was 
to  inspect  the  great  Humboldt  Glacier ;  and,  if  possible, 
to  reach  the  extreme  northern  point  of  Greenland,  sup- 
posing this  region  to  be  an  island.  He  set  out,  in  short, 
with  a  determination  to  find  an  open  sea  to  the  north 
of  the  Greenland  coast ;  and  as  he  did  not  quite  accom- 
plish this  object  at  that  time,  his  devoted  friend,  Mr. 
Morton,  afterward  did  it  for  him,  unless  we  may  sup- 
pose it  possible  that  Mr.  Morton  was  mistaken.  This 
journey,  like  every  preceding  one,  was  a  failure.  We 
came  within  five  miles  of  the  Humboldt  Glacier,  when 
nearly  all  of  our  men,  and  Dr.  Kane  himself,  became 
infected  with  the  scurvy,  the  disease  being  accompanied 
by  unusual  and  alarming  symptoms.  It  was  a  prevail- 
ing opinion  among  us  that  the  Doctor  would  not  live 
long  enough  to  get  back  to  his  vessel.  To  make  our 
situation  still  more  distressing,  the  bears  had  made  an 
inroad  on  our  provision  depots,  several  of  which  were 
pretty  well  cleared  out  by  these  conscienceless  ma- 
rauders. In  this  state  of  things,  our  best  policy  was 
to  return  with  all  the  expedition  that  was  possible  for 
such  a  sickly  company  as  ours.  On  the  way  back,  our 
sledges  were  moving  hospitals,  being  laden  with  sick 
people ;  and  several  of  our  sick  men  were  obliged  to 
Walk,  because  there  was  not  room  enough  for  their  ac- 
commodation in  the  vehicles.     We  had  dogs  enough  to 


^vkj^-.yj-r..^*,^,, . 


A..;:-..^...  ■-:■:'":: 


na 


OODFfiET'8  NABRATIVE  OF  THE 


haul  one  sledge  only ;  a  team  of  men  was  therefore  re- 
quired  to  drag  the  other.  My  companions  regarded  me 
as  **  a  whole  team  ;*'  but,  besides  having  a  dog's  duty 
to  perform,  I  was  compelled  to  nurse  the  sick,  cook  the 
victuals,  and  make  myself  generally  useful,  **  because  I 
was  the  healthiest  man  of  the  party."  Health  is  a 
great  blessing  truly,  but  it  sometimes  has  its  disad- 


,'i^\ 


(j^lk^^ilf't'jiie^  ■^■•i  - :  f\  ■ 


IftiiSif^t- iSd^  z'^^'v^J  •^*- r,;* jfci^  , '?   ^^f^H.i^^/^ni'l  ^i;^■• 


OBINNELL  EXFLORINQ  SXPFDITION. 


na 


WW}' 


flif^#  CHAPTER    XVII.  ar^ 

BEVERAL  TRAVELING  PARTIES  SENT  OUT — THEIR  ILL 
SUCCESS — MORTON  AND  HANS  CHRISTIAN  TRAVEL 
NORTHWARD — THEIR  FAMOUS  DISCOVERIES — A  SEPA- 
RATION OF  OUR  COMPANY — THE  AUTHOR,  WITH  SEVEN 
COMPANIONS,  PERMITTED  TO  LEAVE  THE  BRIG — THEY 
TRAVEL  S0U1.3WARD — ARE  OVERTAKEN  BY  THE  WIN- 
TER— THEIR  UNPARALLELED  SUFFERINGS  FROM  COLD 
AND  FAMINE — THE  AUTHOR  VISITS  AN  ESQU?rMAUX 
SETTLEMENT — THE  GENEROSITY  AND  BENEVOLENCE  OF 
THESE    '*  BARBARIANS" — THEIR    HOUSES,    MODES    OV 


LIVING,  AC. 


^T^ ' j«'  •Ki^*'!' 


For  about  two  weeks  after  our  unsuccessful  attempt 
to  reach  the  Humboldt  Glacier,  the  serious  illness  of 
Dr  Kane  prevented  him  from  undertaking  anj  new 
enterprise.  As  soon  as  he  was  well  enough  to  travel, 
he  made  two  unsuccessful  actempts  to  cross  the  Sound 
with  Esquimaux  guides. 

Early  in  June  two  traveling  parties  were  sent  out. 
One  of  these  parties,  under  the  direction  of  Mc Garry 
and  Bonsall,  came  to  the  foot  of  the  Humboldt  Glacier, 
which  is  a  perpendicular  wall  of  ice,  250  feet  high  and 
tiO  miles  long.  Finding  it  impossible  to  scale  this  stu- 
15* 


. 


i 


A' 


lU 


QOPriUiY'S  NABHATIVE  OF  TBX 


pendous  embankment,  or  to  proceed  any  further,  thoy 
returned  to  the  brig.  The  other  traveling  party  con- 
sisted of  two  persons  only,  viz.,  Mr.  Morton  and  Hans 
Christian.  They  reached  the  foot  of  the  gkcier  on  tho 
15th  day  of  June,  and  traveled  in  their  dog-sledge  on 
the  land-ice  of  the  Sound,  crossing  Peabody's  Bay,  and 
so  found  a  practicable  road  along  the  base  of  the  vast 
wall  of  ice  spoken  of  above.  They  proceeded,  accord- 
ing to  Morton's  statement,  in  a  direction  as  nearly 
northward  as  possible,  passing  along  the  edge  of  Ken- 
neday  Channel,  which  extends  from  the  80th  to  the 
81st  paralbl.  Here,  as  they  report,  the  ice  was  found 
broken  up  and  the  water  in  a  navigable  condition. 
They  also  saw  "  flocks  of  geese,  ducks,  and  dovekies," 
and  gulls  probably ;  and  Mr.  Morton — having  ascended 
a  berg  or  knob  of  ice  five  hundred  feet  high — beheld 
"  a  boundless  waste  of  water,  stretching  away  toward 
the  pole." 

If  this  account  given  by  Morton  is  correct,  it  is 
probable  that  the  pole  is  covered  by  water.  In  that 
case  it  might  be  difficult  for  a  navigator  to  put  his  foot 
on  the  *^  earth's  pivot,"  according  to  the'earnest  desire 
of  Captain  Boss,  unless  the  adventurer  should  happen 
to  have  more  faith  than  St.  Peter,  and  be  able  to  walk 
on  the  surface  of  the  sea.  I  sincerely  hope  that,  for 
the  benefit  of  future  explorers,  there  may  be  some  bet- 
ter means  of  access  to  this  "  open  polar  sea"  than  by 
the  way  of  Smith's.  Sound ;  otherwise  no  vessel  of  con- 
liderable  size  will  ever  be  able  to  reach  it. 
^   As  the  summer  drew  near  its  close,  it  became  evident 


■'<7'-V*T    -"■■^"' 


QKINNEXiL  EXFLOBINQ  EXPEDITION. 


115 


ler,  thoy 
-rty  con- 
id  Hans 
ir  on  the 
ledge  on 
Bay,  and 
the  vast 
,  accord- 
3  nearly 
of  Ken- 
h  to  the 
ras  found 
ondition. 
jvekiea," 
ascended 
— beheld 
J  toward 

}ct,  it  is 
In  that 
his  foot 
ist  desire 
happen 
to  walk 
that,  for 
ome  bet- 
than  by 
I  of  con- 

3  evident 


that  the  American  brig  Advance  was  one  of  the  perma- 
nent fixtures  or  ^'institutions"  of  the  ice-regions.  All 
hope  of  moving  her  had  been  pretty  nearly  abandoned, 
and  we  began  to  contemplate  the  sad  necessity  of  re- 
maining another  winter  in  this  gloomy  clime.  Among 
other  troubles  in  prospect  was  a  scarcity  of  provisions. 
In  order  to  increase  our  supplies  of  eatables,  Hans, 
Petersen,  and  I  were  almost  constantly  engaged  in 
bunting.  We  caught  or  shot  a  number  of  white  rab- 
bits, foxes  of  both  varieties,  white  and  blue,  and  a  few 
seals.  The  flesh  of  these  animals,  by  being  allowed  to 
freeze,  was  easily  preserved  for  future  use.  '    ' 

About  the  latter  part  of  August  all  hands  were  sum 
moned  on  deck,  and  Dr.  Kane,  in  a  formal  speech,  an 
nounced  that  such  of  the  men  as  wished  to  leave  the 
brig  for  the  purpose  of  traveling  homeward,  had  full 
permission  to  do  so.  I  perceived  that  the  apprehended 
scarcity  of  provisions  led  to  this  generous  offer.  As  I 
had  never  enjoyed  much  comfort,  or  experienced  much 
kindness,  on  board  of  the  Advance,  I  was  one  of  the 
first  to  embrace  this  opportunity  to  depart.  A  majority 
if  the  brig's  company,  viz.,  Sonntag,  Dr.  Hayes,  Pe- 
tersen, Bonsall,  Blake,  Riley,  Whipple,  and  Stevenson, 
came  to  the  same  conclusion.  Our  withdrawal  left  but 
eight  persons  on  board. 

Br.  Kane  furnished  us  with  a  boat  placed  on  sledge- 
runners,  and  some  few  cooking  utensils  and  other  arti-. 
cles  which  could  be  spared  from  the  brig.     We  bade 
our  comrades  who  stayed  behind  an  affectionate  adieu, 
:^nd  started  on  the  28th  of  August — rather  too  late  in 


It6 


godfkey'8  naruatiyb  of  the 


the  season  for  such  an  undertaking.  Our  purpose  was 
to  proceed  by  boat  or  sledge  conveyance,  as  we  best 
could,  to  Upernavick,  the  most  northern  Danish  settle- 
ment, from  whence  we  expected  to  find  a  passage  in 
some  vessel  to  our  own  country.  We  traveled  south- 
ward on  tho  ice  some  three  hundred  and  fifty  miles, 
when  the  severity  of  the  weather  compelled  us  to  go  on 
shore  and  build  ourselves  a  hut.  This  habitation  was 
mude  of  stones,  in  the  Esquimaux  style  of  architecture. 
We  covered  it,  according  to  our  best  ability,  with  oars 
y.Xkd  sails ;  nevertheless,  it  was  a  rather  airy  place  of 
resif'r  "ce.  We  were  entirely  destitute  of  provisions, 
and  were, obliged  to  gather  the  lichen  or  rock-moss  and 
boil  it  for  our  maintenance,  although  the  taste  of  the 
herb  is  extremely  nauseating,  and  its  nature  is  decidedly 
unwholesome.  We  hunted  every  day,  but  could  find 
no  game.  Meanwhile,  the  dark  season  was  coming  on 
very  rapidly,  and  our  situation  became  exceedingly  pre- 
carious. I  constructed  several  fox-traps,  and  although 
foxes  were  very  scarce  in  this  neighborhood  we  had  the 
good  fortune  to  catch  two  of  them.  As  all  of  our  ship 
biscuit  had  been  consumed,  we  had  nothing  of  the  bread 
kind  to  eat  with  our  fox-meat.  In  other  circumstances, 
we  might  have  thought  the  taste  of  this  meat  unpleasant, 
as  it  has  somewhat  of  a  fishy  flavor,  but  long  abstinence 
enabled  us  to  eat  it  with  a  good  relish.  We  called  our 
hut  the  "  Wanderers'  Home,"  and  we  made  a  strong 
effort  to  feel  comfortable  and  contented  in  our  domestic 
cstibiishment,  designing  to  spend  the  winter  there,  if 
possible,  and  to  pursue  our  journey  early  in  the  spring. 


■■*^ t.'," 


tl^ 


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Him.. 


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Av  . 


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'■h  :- 


jiiUV 


GBINNELL   EXPLOBINQ   XXPSDITION. 


179 


The  average  temperature  was  50°  below  zero ;  a  groater 
degree  of  cold  than  we  had  ever  experienced  in  the 
more  northern  latitude  where  the  b  •  ig  was  harbored. 

When  we  had  been  about  a  week  in  this  pleasant 
location,  we  were  visited  by  a  party  of  Esquimaux,  who 
vere  migrating  to  Cape  York,  having  been  starved 
oat  of  their  former  place  of  residence,  about  fifty  miles 
further  to  the  North.  Although  we  ourselves  were 
rather  ^*  hard  up"  for  something  to  eat,  we  s^ave  these 
poor  wanderers  a  mo^-sel  of  food,  without  any  expecta- 
tion that  they  would  ver  have  it  in  their  power  to  re- 
ciprocate our  kindness.  But  a  good  deed,  even  in  this 
"naughty  world,"  often  meets  with  its  reward  in  a  most 
unexpected  manner.  Several  days  after,  the  same 
party,  with  some  other  Esquimaux,  men,  women  and 
children,  making  altogether  eighteen  persons,  called 
on  us  again,  having  a  good  stock  of  provisions,  which 
they  o£fered  to  sell  us  at  our  own  valuation.  The  com- 
modities which  they  wished  to  dispose  of  consie  j(i  of 
seal  and  walrus  meat,  eider-djcke,  loons,  an(^  other 
water-fowls. 

Before  we  began  to  trade,  we  had  a  grand  entertain- 
ment, our  Esquimaux  guests  supplying  the  viar  ds  and 
we  cooking  them.  It  was  neither  **  a  feast  of  r:ia8on" 
nor  '*  a  flow  of  soul,"  for  we  all  ate  in  the  most  unrea- 
sonable manner,  and  thought  of  nothing  but  the  gratifi- 
cation of  our  corporal  appetites.  As  a  specimen  of  the 
way  in  which  we  used  up  the  eatables  at  this  banquet, 
I  will  mention  that  I  myself  consumed  two  eider-ducks, 
each  of  which  was  larger  than  any  wild  dur^   '^ver  seen 


180  « 


OODFRXT'S  NARRATIVK  of  THl 


m  the  United  States.  T  JCane,  vvlien  we  were  about 
to  separate  ourselves  from  his  company,  had  supplier! 
us  with  some  beads,  needles,  and  other  trifling  articles, 
suitable  for  trading  with  the  natives  ;  and  this  was  sup* 
posed  to  be  our  main  resource  for  supplying  ourselves 
with  provisions.  On  the  morning  after  tlio  arrival  of 
our  native  guests,  we  applied  ourselves  to  business  and 
obtained  a  good  stock  of  food  and  other  necessaries  on 
very  easy  terms.  I  *' swapped"  an  old  jack-knife  with 
one  of  the  Esquimaux  gentlemen  for  a  pair  of  excellent 
bear-skin  boots,  each  of  us  believing  that  we  had  got 
the  best  of  the  bargain.  A  string  of  small  beads,  worth 
about  two  cents  in  the  United  States,  was  considered 
as  a  fair  price  for  a  pair  of  eider-ducks  or  a  good 
large  lump  of  walrus-meat.  When  our  visitors  were 
about  to  depart,  aftor  wo  had  traded  to  our  mutual  sat- 
isfaction, they  invji.  i'l  ^^ne  to  accompany  them  to  their 
settlement  I  did  bo  with  a  great  deal  of  pleasure,  as 
I  wished  to  examine  their  modes  of  life;  however, 
having  some  speculation  in  my  eyes,  I  took  with  me 
some  large  sewing  needles,  several  articles  of  cheap 
jewelry,  some  beads,  &;c.,  which  I  designed  to  barter 
with  the  inhabitants  of  the  settlement  for  articles  of 
food  and  clothing.  Our  Esquimaux  friends  traveled  in 
dog-sledges,  six  of  which  they  had  with  them  and  a 
team  of  four  dogs  to  each  sled.  One  of  the  company, 
named  Colootna,  offered  me  a  seat  in  his  vehicle,  and  we 
set  out  in  very  high  spirits,  although  the  thermometer 
was  48°  below  zero.  The  settlement  was  sixty  miles 
from  our  hut,  and  we  reached  it  in  about  eighteen 


ORINNELL  EXPLORING  EXPEDItlOir. 


181 


hoars.  On  the  way,  wo  gave  chase  to  a  bear,  who  kept 
119  in  pursuit  of  him  for  six  hours,  and  then  escaped  by 
a  very  *'cute  trick,"  diving  under  an  ice  floe  and  ap- 
pearing on  the  other  side,  entirely  beyond  our  reach. 
He  looked  back  at  us,  as  I  imagined,  with  a  row  ^al  ex- 
pression of  countenance,  as  if  he  would  have  jaiu,  a 
couldn't  come  it  that  time,  my  boys."  He  •«  ^ti« 
fat  old  fellow  and  promised  to  afford  some  capii. 
His  escape  was  a  source  of  bitter  disappointment  lu  ..f 
Esquimaux  companions,  and  some  of  the  women  and 
children  of  the  party  cried  very  heartily  when  the  bear 
gave  us  the  slip. 

When  we  arrived  at  the  settlement,  the  "  barbarous 
people  showed  me  not  a  little  kindness,"  treating  me 
in  the  most  generous  and  hospitable  manner.  I  re- 
mained with  them  for  two  or  three  days,  in  order  to 
cultivate  their  acquaintance  and  open  the  way  for  a 
regular  trade,  which  might  be  the  means  of  supplying 
our  party  with  food  during  the  winter.  The  habita- 
tions of  the  Esquimaux  savages  are  of  a  very  singular 
construction.  They  are  of  a  circular  shape  with  round 
dome-like  tops  ;  the  diameter  of  the  building  never  ex- 
ceeding eight  or  ten  feet.  The  height  of  the  dome,  in 
the  centre,  is  about  equal  to  the  diameter  of  the  hut. 
The  entrance  consists  of  a  low  arched- way,  two  feet  high 
and  six  feet  in  length.  The  opening  of  this  archway 
is  just  large  enough  for  a  man  to  creep  through  on  his 
hands  and  knees,  and  every  one  who  enters  must  do  so 
in  this  humiliating  manner,  Around  the  interior  of  the 
hut,  half  way  between  the  floor  and  the  ceiling,  there 
16 


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GODFBBt  8  NABRATIVK  OF  THl    ;^> 


is  ft  gallery  made  of  Btone,  like  all  the  other  parts  ;vf 
the  building — ^leaving  in  the  centre  of  the  hut  an  area 
not  more  than  three  feet  in  diameter.  The  occupants 
of  the  dwelling  live  and  sleep  in  the  gallery,  where  their 
bedding,  consisting  of  moss  and  skins,  is  disposed.  The 
cooking  is  done  by  a  lamp,  rudely  constructed  of  stone, 
which  stands  on  the  eo^ge  of  the  platform  or  gallery 
whereon  the  family  sit  when  they  are  awake  and  lie 
when  they  are  asleep.  The  cooking  lamp  is  fed  with 
the  blubber  of  the  seal  or  walrus.  .,vttr/ 

As  the  hut  is  maclo  almost  air-tight,  having  no  aper- 
ture except  the  little  door,  partially  guarded  from  the 
cold  esfljernal  atmosphere  by  the  long  arch- way  described 
above,  the  interior  of  the  dwelling  is  quite  warm. 
The  heat  of  the  cooking-lamp.  wh!.ch  is  kept  always 
burning,  together  with  the  breath  and  vital  heat  of  the 
occupaints,  is  sufficient  to  make  the  apartment  comfort- 
able; and  indeed  too  warm  for  persons  who  are  not 
accustomed  to  the  Esquimaux  modes  of  living. 

When  I  had  made  all  the  purchases  I  desired,  and 
signified  my  wish  to  return  to  my  companions,  my 
friend  Oolootna  conveyed  me  home  in  his  dog-sledge. 
My  comrades  were  glad  to  see  me,  and  (as  I  suspect,) 
were  stilt  better  pleased  to  see  the  additional  stock  of 
provisions  I  had  brought  with  me.  Some  of  them 
were  in  very  bad  health,  and  all  were,  more  or  less, 
afflicted  with  the  blue  devils^  They  suffered  consider- 
ably from  the  cold  likewise,  for  our  house  was  not  as 
comfortable  as  the  dwellings  of  the  Esquimaux.  My 
companions  were  very  much  divided  in  opinion  respect- 


OBlltKiUi  IXFLOEING  EXPEDITIOIf. 


1^^ 


int;  the  proper  course  to  be  pursued.  Some  were  for 
remaining  where  wo  were  until  Spring,  and  then  pro^ 
ceeding  on  our  way  to  Upernavick ;  some  wished  to  pass 
the  winter  at  the  neighboring  Esquimaux  settlement ; 
and  some  were  desirous  of  returnirg  immediately  to  the 
biig.  The  last-mentioned  expedient  was  less  accejta*!^ 
ble  to  me  then  either  of  the  others.  I  considered  that 
we  had,  to  all  intents  and  purposes,  been  dismissed  from 
ottr  vessel,  because  our  Commander  thought  that  his 
family  was  larger  than  he  could  well  maintain  ;  and  as 
we  had  received  our  portions,  like  so  many  prodigal 
sons,  and  been  set  adrift,  I  preferred  living  on  husks 
or  moss,  or  any  thing  else,  to  going  back  with  expres- 
sions of  contrition  and  making  a  pitiful  appeal  to  the 
benevolence  of  Dr.  Kane. 

A  few  weeks  had  passed  away,  and  we  had  not  yet 
resolved  what  to  do.  Our  stock  of  provisions  had 
nearly  run  out.  Several  of  our  men  were  sick,  and 
nearly  all  were  haunted  by  gloomy  anticipations.  Earl 
Petersen  and  I  had  some  energy  and  resolution  left,  and 
we  had  health  and  strength  enough  to  attempt  something 
for  the  relief  of  our  companions.  We  walked  to  the  Esqui- 
maux village,  sixty  miles  over  the  ice,  tho  thermometer 
fifty  degrees  below  zero.  Incessant  exercise  was  necessa- 
ry to  keep  us  from  frezing.  We  could  not  stop  a  moment 
fur  rest  or  refreshment,  and  we  could  not  sleep  on  the  way 
as  we  had  no  tent  or  bedding.  We  finished  the  journey 
in  eighteen  hours,  traveling  without  intermision  ;  and 
tliis  was  extraordinary  speed,  considering  our  bcnumbv'd 


184 


GODFREY'S  NABRATIVB  OV   THl 


condition  and  the  disabling  effect  of  spare  diet.  Oar 
only  food  on  the  way  consisted  of  a  little  dried  walrus* 
meat,  on  which  we  breakfasted,  dined  and  supped,  as 
we  walked.  When  we  arrived  at  the  settlement,  we 
staggered  like  drunkards,  being  completely  unnerved 
by  fatigue  and  exhaustion.v^^^A^^^i  ^..^^^  .  ^  ..,.' 

After  all  our  labor  we  were  doomed  to  meet  with  a 
great  disappointment.  The  inhabitants  of  the  settle- 
ment, according  to  the  usual  improvident  habits  of  the 
Esquimaux,  had  exhausted  nearly  all  their  provisions 
by  continual  feasting,  and  they  were  now  almost  as 
badly  provided  with  food  as  we  ourselves  were.  The 
young,  men  of  the  village  were  absent  on  a  seal  and 
walrus-h'inting  expedition ;  and  as  they  had  been  away 
longer  than  usual,  it  was  thought  that  they  had  met 
with  but  little  success.  Nevertheless,  the  benevolent 
savages  took  pity  on  our  wretched  condition,  and  spared 
us  a  little  food  from  their  scar  -stores.  As  the  prin- 
cipal men  of  the  village  were  ..jsent  with  their  dog* 
sledges,  we  could  obtain  no  conveyance  back  to  our 
home,  and  were  obliged  to  return  on  foot  with  the  little 
meat  we  had  obtained,  after  resting  ourselves  for  a  few 
hours.  We  made  as  little  delay  as  possible,  for  those 
of  our  company  who  remained  at  the  hut  were  sufferiug 
for  want  of  victuals.  We  carried  the  small  stock  of 
walrus-meat  we  had  obtained  from  the  Esquimaux, 
strapped  on  our  backs.  The  load  was  not  very  op- 
pressive, it  is  true,  but  it  added  somewhat  to  the  weari- 
Bomeness  of  our  journey.     When  about  half-way  to  our 


.'SA^HtJ^^HH^i-.:^:,,^-^-  ■ 


GBINNELL  EXPLORINQ  EXPEDITION. 


185 


dwelling-place,  I  was  unlucky  enough  to  sprain  my^ 
ankle  while  attempting  to  leap  over  a  chasm  in  the  ice 
ten  feet  wide.     This  accident  added  very  much  to  my 
sufferings  during  the  remainder  of  our  walk ;  and  my 
lameness  was  the  cause  of  considerable  delay,  prolong 
ing  the  journey  to  twenty-five  hours. 


GODFREY'S  CORDIAL  PUTS  IHE  ESQUIMAUX  TO  SLEEP. 

...       .....  -,».%{ 


"♦*©,• 


186 


aODFBXT^S  NABBATIYX  OF  TBI 


4  iiii 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

TUB  AUTHOR  AND  HIS  PARTY  ENDURB  ALL  THB  HORRORS 
OF  FAMINE — THEY  RESOLVB  TO  RETURN  TO  THE  BRIO 
— THB  author's  RELUCTANCE  TO  00  BACK — HE  COM- 
PLIES WITH  THB  WISHES  OP  THE  MAJORITY — ANOTHER 
TROUBLESOME  JOURNEY — THB  ESQUIMAUX  TRY  TO 
OUT-YANKEE  THE  YANKEES— THEY  MISS  THEIR  FIGURE 

'.  -^VIRTUES  OF  "  QODFEEY'S  GORDIAL" — ^THB  AUTHOR'S 
SUCCESSFUL  STRATA<3EM. 

The  last  supply  of  provisions  obtained  Ij  Petersen 
and  I  was  consumed  within  two  or  three  dajs,  except 
about  fifteen  pounds  of  walrns-meat,  which,  although 
frozen,  was  in  an  advanced  stage  of  putrefaction.  The 
mention  of  this  circumstance  may  surprise  the  reader; 
but  T?hile  I  remained  in  the  polar  regions,  I  had  fre- 
quent proofs  of  the  fact,  that  extreme  cold  is  sometimes 
almost  as  conducive  as  extreme  heat  to  the  decomposi* 
tion  of  animal  matter.  On  this  meat,  offensive  as  it 
was,  we  were  obliged  to  subsist  for  two  days.  At  the 
end  of  that  time  an  Esquimaux  hunter  stopped  at  our 
hut  with  his  dog-sledge.  As  there  was  no  hope  of  re- 
lief from  any  other  quarter,  my  companions  wished  to 
engage  this  Esquimaux  to  convey  one  or  two  of  oar 
company  to  the  brig,  to  solicit  "Or  Kane  for  a  barrel 


A i'/w-  ■Jj"^"/ a^'tWiJ  j^"'"^ 


GRINNELL  EXFLOHllfO  EXFlEDITION. 


187 


of  ship-bifcnit,  or  something  else  which  might  be  the 
means  of  sustaining  our  lives.  Petersen  and  I  were 
requested  to  go  on  this  mission ;  but  I  informed  ray 
fellow-sufferers  that  I  could  not  on  any  account  become 
'  a  petitioner  to  Dr.  Kane..  I  had  reason  to  think  that 
he  was  prejudiced  against  me,  and  I  should  prefer 
starving  in  that  icy  wilderness  to  becoming  a  pensioner 
on  his  bounty.  I  told  them  that  I  was  willing  to  un- 
dertake any  other  journey,  or  to  attempt  any  thing 
else  for  their  relief,  even  if  the  attempt  required  the 
sacrifice  of  my  own  life,  but  they  must  find  Aome  other 
messenger  to  perform  the  errand  they  now  had  in  con- 
templation. After  some  debate,  it  was  determined  that 
Bonsall  and  Petersen  should  be  the  begging  embassa- 
dors to  Dr.  Kane.  The  Esquimaux,  who  undertook  to 
carry  them  in  his  sledge,  was  promised  a  reward  on  his 
arrival  at  the  vessel.  I  learned  afterward  that  the 
strength  of  the  dog-team  proved  inadequate  to  the  con- 
veyance of  the  three  men ;  and  at  the  end  of  the  first 
eighty  miles  the  animals  were  completely  worn  out,  so 
that  a  sort  of  **  rotation  in  office**  became  necessary, 
the  dogs  being  placed  in  the  sledge  while  the  men 
hauled  it.  '     -t 

In  this  tmusual  style  of  traveling  they  proceeded 
5.fty  miles  further,  when  they  fell  in  with  a  large  party 
of  Esquimaux  hunters,  and  after  some  conversation  it 
was  agjeed  that  they  should  all  go  to  the  brig  togetherr 
The  hunters  had  sledge-room  enough  to  accommodate 
th«  whole  party,  and  so  our  messengers  sped  much  bet- 
ter than  they  had  expected.     Bonsall  and  Petersen  did 


ja9 


^    OODFBET'S  NABRASZYB  OV  T9X 


not  return  ;  but  as  soon  as  they  gavo  Dr.  Kane  an  ac- 
oount  of  our  starving  condition,  that  gentleman  \^ty 
promptly  dispatched  some  provisions  for  us  by  the  ^$. 

^quimaux.  hunters,  detaining  one  of  their  number  as  a 
'*  hostage"  for  the  safe  delivery  of  the  articles. 
In  the  meanwhile,  I  had  been  making  all  possible 

i^exertions  to  obtain  food  by  hunting,  trapping,  &c.,  in 
which  operations  my  remaining  companions  were  too 
sickly  or  feeble  to  give  me  any  assistance.     Four  or 

•^five  days  after  the  departure  of  the  messengers,  my 
comrades  informed  me  that  they  themselves  had  come 
to  the  determination  to  go  to  the  brig,  and  earnestly 
entreated  me  to  accompany  them.  I  consented,  be- 
cause I  saw  very  plainly  that  they  were  not  able  to 
take  care  of  themselves.     After  making  all  the  prepa- 

^ration  that  W9S  necessary  we  started;  and,  oh  reader, 

|]bow  shall  I  give  you  the  faintest  idea  of  the  tribulation 
I  experienced  on  the  way  I   When  I  had  performed  the 

,^^rt  of  dry-nurse  for  ten  or  twelve  hour?,  and  was 

^.nlmost  distra,cted  by  the  multiplicity  of  my  cares  and 
4uties,  we  met  the  Esquimaux  hunters  who  had  been 
sent  from  th§  vessel  with  some  provisions  for  our  use. 
They  had  five  sledges,  with  teams  of  six  dogs  each. 

.  3oth  parties  came  to  a  halt ;  and  after  the  usual  salu- 

v^tfttions,  (urrfingements  were  made  for  cooking  a  meal. 
The  Doctor  had  sent  us  some  biscuit  and  salt  pork,  and 
we  soon  had  a  good  kettle  of  **scouse"  in  the  course 
of  preparation.  In  the  meanwhile,  we  tampered  with 
our  craving  appetites  by  nibbling  dry  biscuit.     As  soon 

^•8  the  repast  was  finished,  the  Es<|uimaux  divided  our 


.■».;i';tf 


j:'^^'. 


GBINMELL  EXPLORIMO  IXPEDITION. 


189 


eompanyy  conBisting  of  six  pemons,  into  five  lots,  so 
that  four  of  the  sleds  should  carry  one  man  each,  and 
the  fifth  one  two.  As  soon  as  we  were  all  on  board, 
we  went  off  in  gallant  style,  and  pat  sixty  miles  behind 
08  in  the  first  ten  hoars.  At  the  end  of  that  time  we 
baited,  pitched  our  tents,  and  enjoyed  a  most  refresh- 
ing sleep,  as  the  gnawings  of  conscience  or  hanger  did 
not  interrupt  oar  repose. 

The  next  day  our  Esquimaux  drivers  held  a  oonsalta- 
tion  apart,  and  appeared  to  be  debating  some  subject 
of  importance,  in  their  own  estimation  at  least.  The 
conference  being  over,  they  approached  us  and  gave  us 
to  understand  that  four  of  them,  with  the  same  number 
of  sledges,  would  be  obliged  to  visit  the  place  of  their 
abode  on  business  of  great  consequence.  Two  of  their 
men  and  one  sledge  would  remain  with  us,  until  the 
other  members  of  their  party  should  return.  They 
would  also  leave  us  a  tent  and  every  thing  necessary 
for  our  comfort.  Though  very  much  vexed  at  this  de- 
tention, we  felt  that  we  had  no  right  to  coject  to  the 
proposed  plans,  as  these  people  were  certainly  pri- 
vileged to  attend  to  their  own  affairs  before  ours. 
Soon  after,  four  of  the  hunters  drove  off  in  a  different 
direction  from  that  we  had  lately  been  traveling.  They 
had  scarcely  been  gone  an  hour,  before  the  two  remain- 
ing Esquimaux  announced  that  it  had  jast  come  to 
their  recollection  that  they  would  be  obliged  to  go  too ; 
and  they  began  to  hitch  up  the  last  dog-team  for  t  t 
purpose.  I  new  became  suspicious  of  a  trick,  and  re- 
solved that  these  fellows  should  not  out-jockey  me. 


"OKS^" 


190 


CK^DrEET'S  NARRATTVZ  OF  ml 


L.:t 


Happening  to  have  a  small  book  of  **  Ethiopian  Molo> 
dies"  in  mj  pocket,  I  took  it  out  and  examined  a  page 
with  the  most  earnest  attention ;  then,  patting  on  a 
verj  gloomy  aspect,  I  informed  the  two  hunters  that 
thej  had  chosen  the  most  unlucky  day  in  the  whole 
year  for  this  now  journey.  "  After  we  have  slept  once 
more,"  said  I,  **  the  danger  will  be  over,  and  you  can 
then  start  as  soon  as  you  please,  without  any  fear  of 
the  consequences."  Finding  that  I  had  made  some 
impression  on  their  superstitious  feelings,  I  endeavored 
to  touch  them  on  another  assailable  point,  by  promising 
them  a  capital  supper.  The  gluttonous  proclivities  of 
the  Bsquimaux  made  this  last  argument  a  clincher. 
Our  two  gentlemen  were  persuaded  to  pass  the  night 
with  us ;  and,  while  I  prepared  for  them  a  bountiful 
supper,  according  to  promise,  my  mind  was  occupied 
with  painful  reflections  on  the  new  embarrassments 
which  now  presented  themselves.  I  saw  very  plainly 
that  these  Esquimaux,  for  some  reason  or  other,  wished 
to  desert  us ;  and  it  was  equally  evident  that,  if  we 
should  be  abandoned  in  that  place,  the  consequences 
would  be  fatal  to  some  of  my  sick  companions.  I  could 
see  but  one  or  two  ways  of  extricating  ourselves  from 
the  difficultjf.  I  did  not  doubt  our  ability  to  compel 
these  two  savages  to  convey  us  to  the  brig ;  but  know- 
ing these  people  to  be  unwarlike  and  cowardly  in  their 
disposition,  I  was  unwilling  to  take  advantage  of  these 
defects  of  character.  My  intercourao  with  the  native 
tribes  had  taught  me  that  all  kinds  of  trickery  with 
them   is   considered   fair   and    honorable.     They  are 


: . . it''~    -....v^t  1j   f.'i— tn-f^' :_i^. X . i,-ji 


^' 


[)  Molo- 
a  page 
ig  on  a 
srs  that 
B  whole 
ept  once 
you  can 
fear  of 
le  somo 
leavored 
'omising 
irities  of 
clincher, 
he  night 
)Ountiful 
[>ccupied 
issments 
r  plainly 
,  wished 
t,  if  we 
quences 
I  could 
res  from 
compel 
it  know- 
in  their 
of  these 
native 
ry  with 
ley  are 


Mc 


ki^--Ai£^'iir 


■»• 


M 


-■  \ 


M 


■^^ 


■V-     - f< 


^4» 


ftlf 


w 


Mi* 


.5ii^>r 


.sm. 


mA 


<♦«' 


fM' 


::•-«:? 


UlCnflLL 


FKDinoir. 


191 


ilwfljB  ready  to  practice  a  ruHy  or  to  exoQse  othera  for 
the  same  propensity.  I  determined,  therefore,  to  coaa- 
bat  them  with  their  own  weapons ;  bnt  nothing  but  the 
desperate  circumstances  in  which  I  was  placed  could 
have  induced  me  to  use  the  stratagtm,  of  which  I  am 
about  to  give  an  account  OosTin<Md  that  it  was  an 
affair  of  life  or  death,  for  Dr.  Hayes  and  two  others  of 
my  party  appeared  to  be  almost  in  the  last  extremity, 
and  were  likely  to  die  for  want  of  medical  assistance,  I 
resolved  that  no  time  should  be  lost  in  the  conveyance 
of  these  sufferers  to  the  vessel,  where  aiona  cfaoy  could 
meet  with  the  attentions  they  required.  I  endeavored 
to  touch  the  humane  feelings  of  the  two  Esquimaux,  by 
explaining  to  them  the  dangerous  situation  of  my  com- 
rades ;  but  these  representations  did  not  answer  the 
purpose ;  it  was  plain  that  they  had  made  up  their 
minds  not  to  go  to  the  brig.  Their  obstinacy  in  this 
matter  was  unaccountable  to  me  at  that  time,  but  the 
mystery  was  cleared  up  afterward.  When  these 
hunters  and  their  associates  conveyed  Bonsall  and 
Petersen  to  the  brig,  as  I  have  pi  eviously  related,  Dr. 
Kane  feasted  them  in  his  cabin,  and  they  embraced 
that  opportunity  to  steal  some  of  the  Doctor's  knives, 
forks,  spoons,  and  every  other  small  article  that  could 
possibly  be  carried  off  without  too  much  risk  of  detec- 
tion. They  had  likewise  committed  another  piece  cf 
knavery,  by  throwing  away  some  of  the  provisions 
which  they  had  engaged  to  carry  to  our  party  at 
*'  Wanderers*  Home,"  notwithstanding  they  had  left 
one  of  their  company  as  a  hostage  for  the  safe  delivery 
17 


.  ■'^li'iii!L''J-Aui- ^ 


%:■,. 


QODFRKY 


mVE  Of  TUB  ., . 


these  proyi3ion8.  These  deeds  of  delinquency  nade 
them  afraid  to  revisit  the  hrig,  where  they  might  expect 
4o  he  held  accountahle  for  their  rascality.   <     ^^h,;,  ,v^ 

Finding  that  the  two  native  hunters  could  not  be 
persuaded  or  induced  to  help  us  on  our  way,  and  being 
now  satisfied  that  they  had  resolved  to  leave  us  on  the 
ice,  I  perceived  that  it  would  be  necessary  to  turn  the 
joke  on  themselves.  Among  other  trumpery  in  oar 
haggage  department,  there  were  a  few  bottles  of  medi- 
cines. One  of  these  nostrums,  labeled  ^*  Cfodfrej/'g 
Cordial"  appeared  to  have  been  invented  by  some 
namesake  of  mine,  with  whom  I  cannot  claim  the  honor 
of  »t  personal  acquaintance.  However,  the  physic  is 
considered  to  be  ^^  a  safe  and  pleasant  remedy  for  colic, 
griping  pains,  and  other  diseases  to  which  children  are 
liable."  I  had  known  it  to  be  given  to  peevish  infanta, 
to  make  them  sleep,  and  its  virtue  as  an  opiate  was  the 
circumstance  that  chiefly  recommended  it  to  my  notice 
at  that  time.  Having  prepared  a  pot  of  *'  scouse"  ex- 
pressly for  the  entertainment  of  our  faithful  Esquimaux 
carriers,  I  seasoned  the  mess  with  a  pretty  large  dose 
of  the  anodyne  mixture.  This  preparation  was  greedily 
swallowed  by  my  two  patients,  who  were  too  intent  on 
gratifying  their  own  appetites  to  observe  that  my  com- 
panions and  I  did  not  partake  of  the  same  dish.  After 
awhile,  perceiving  that  they  were  becoming  drowsy,  I 
advised  them  to  put  themselves  to  bed  in  the  tent. 
As  an  Esquimaux  is  always  willing  to  eat  or  sleep,  they 
readily  took  my  counsel,  and  were  soon  locked  up 
ligiiiijr 


111    bUC   CUIUJUUO   ui 


V      t.^  -.i^ 


GRINtULL  IXP] 


MQ  EXPEDITION. 


19A 


then  deposited  in  the  tent  provisions  enough  to  serve 
tliem  for  two  pr  three  days,— (which  was  as  muoh  as  I 
could  spare,) — and  having  hitched  up  the  dog-team,  we 
placed  our  invalids  in  the  sledge,  wrapped  them  up 
well  in  buffalo  skins  and  blankets,  and  started  off  at  fall 
speed.  Hayes,  Sonntag,  and  Stevenson  occupied  the 
sledge ;  and  as  the  dogs  could  not  conveniently  drag  a 
heavier  lor^d,  Blake,  Whipple,  and  I,  being  the  healthiest 
^pn  of  the  party,  ran  on  behind  and  assisted  the  dogs, 
by  pushing  against  the  back  of  the  sledge.  I  really 
am  not  casuist  enoisrh  to  know  whether  my  conduct  in 
this  affair  was  justifiable  or  not..  It  was  certainly  lui 
Qnjust  act  to  take  possession  of  a  sled  and  dog-team 
T/hich  did  not  belong  to  us;  but  then  the  question 
arises,  would  it  not  have  been  a  greater  fault  to  allow 
our  sick  people  to  perish  on  the  ice?  I  was  placed 
between  the  horns  of  a  moral  dilemma,  so  that  it  was 
impossible  for  me  to  take  any  course  with  which  my 
conscience  would  have  been  perfectly  satisfied.  Some 
time  after  this  occurrence,  I  met  with  one  of  the  natives 
whom  I  had  tricked ;  he  gave  me  full  credit  for  my  in- 
genuity, and  was  so  excessively  complimentary,  as  to 
say  that  I  deserved  to  be  an  Esquimaux.  He  gave  me 
a  humorous  account  of  the  astonishment  of  himself  and 
his  comrade  when  they  awoke,  and  found  that  they  had 
been  outwitted  by  the  white'  men ;  and  he  begged  me  to 
supply  him  with  some  of  the  "sleepy  stuff,"  as  he 
thought  it  would  be  a  good  joke  to  try  its  effects  on 
some  of  his  countrymen. 

'   -  ^    -'    manner 


HTl- 


party 


traveied.li 


Xt!fr=. 


ii)i.% 


.» 


'■  -'»— !i(r»TF^.TM_"V--,. 


196 


QODISKr  8  NABBAnrS  or  THl 


I    ) 


described,  abont  eight  hoara,  ire  came  to  An  Ssqaimanx 
Bcttlement,  where  we  stopped  to  repose.  Here  I  met 
with  two  of  the  hnnters  who  had  deserted  as  on  the 
preceding  day.  They  were  yery  mach  surprised  to  see 
us  at  that  place.  I  informed  them  that  we  had  bor- 
rowed the  sledge  and  dog-team  from  tfaeif '  associates, 
who  were  waiting  at  the  tent  in  expectatroh  of  their 
arrival,  according  to  promise.  As  they  never  had  any 
intention  to  go  backhand  knew  that  their  friends  dici 
not  expect  them,  my  story  did  not  obtain  much  credit. 
They  appeared  to  be  apprehensive  that  we  had  done 
their  companions  some  mischief,  and  whefi  I  parted 
fro|ir  them,  they  were  about  to  start  for  the  place  where 
we  had  left  my  two  slumbering  patients.  I  sent  word 
to  the  victimized  hunters  that  whenever  it  suited  their 
convenience  to  come  to  the  brig,  their  sledge  and  dog- 
team  would  be  returned,  and  the  owners  should  be  suiti^ 
Uy  recompensed  for  the  use  of  them. ,..-  '■.-^^■'-.-■-i-^.'j^---^, 

..,,  ■.*';  ■  -. '■  ,  ,,  , 
'  .  ■   *  **   ■  '    '  ■'»'•' 


>;^#\^''.'^J*' 'tis' ?■.'.■■ 


^^1;  ;:0^*'^jf^i£i^f"-^ri- 


^^W' ' ■■  "■'""■" 


*/f 


.  y^.^  ,■  "^i.-:,.  V-ar  ^^^''  -.i  t; 


+'• 


"w!? 


Mr- 


^..a^.-::-'^''* 


T.73|^1 


fiWNNBIJ.  EZFLOEIKO   KXfXDlTION.  I97 

TAB  WANDERERS  RETURN  TO  THE  RRIO^SOME  07  IflEU 
ARE  TAKEN  SICK — DR.  HAYES  HAS  HIS  TOES  CDT  OCT 
-STARVATION  ON  SHIPBOARD — PREVALENCE  OT  THE 
SCURVY — THE  MEN  DYING  FOR  WANT  OP  TRESH  PRO- 
VISIONS— SEVERAL  PARTIES  SENT  OUT  TO  PROCtiRE 
FOOD— THE  COLi)  DRIVES  THEM  BACK— THE  AUTHOR'S 
SOLITARY  JOURNEY  OF  NINETY-FIVE  MILES— ^HIS  DAR- 
INO  ENTERPRISE  SUCCEEDS— HE  OBTAINS  A  SUPPLY  OP 
FRESH   MEAT — MORE  OP  BANS  CHRISTIAN'S  LOVE  AP- 

We  traveled  as  rapidly  as  the  strength  of  the  dogs 
would  permit,  timing  matters  so  as  to  stop  for  rest  at 
the  different  Esquimaux  settlements  on  the  way.  The 
natives  treated  us  with  uniform  kindness  at  the  several 
villages  where  we  halted ;  and  I  helieve  that  some  of 
our  invalids  would  have  died  on  the  way,  hut  for  the 
relief  afforded  them  hy  the  hospitality  of  the  "  savages." 
We  reached  the  hrig  on  the  12th  of  Decemher,  having 
been  ahsent  more  than  three  months.  Famine,  disease, 
And  long  suffering  had  made  such  havoc  in  our  personal 
appearance  that  our  friends  on  hoard  could  scarcely 
recognize  us ;  certainly  a  more  ghastly  company  was 
never  sem  on  the  deck  of  an  hermaphrodite  brig.  The 
11* 


■w^^ 


■r.-'i. 


I    '% 


m 


CK>DVaiT'fl  NABBATIYI  OF  TB»4 


sick  people  were  immediateljr«^ut  to  bed.  Some  of 
them  were  found  to  be  in  a  very  bad  condition.  Sonn* 
tag,  Bluke,  and  Stevenson  were  quite  ill  for  severa] 
Weeks ;  and  Dr.  Hayes  was  obliged  to  part  with  his 
toes,  as  bis  feet  had  been  badly  frozen.  This  toeless 
condition,  by  the  way,  was  one  of  our  arci||fashions, 
as  a  considerable  proportion  of  our  compair^'had  been 
subjected  to  that  kind  of  trimming ;  though,  (if  a  bad 
pun  may  be  excused,)  few  of  us  could  well  afford  to 
have  our  understandings  retrenched,  j^^fi^^  i>ivisj  %  ?  ^v  .^ 
iiWe  found  that  those  of  our  men  who  had  remained 
on  board  had  suffered  rather  severely,  though  their  sit- 
uation exposed  them  to  much  less  hardship  than  oar 
party  of  wanderers  had  sustained.  Our  second  winter 
in  the  polar  regions  was  more  calamitous  thsin  the  first. 
Of  course,  the  longer  we  remained  there  the  more  our 
stock  of  provisions  and  fuel  must  become  exhausted. 
The  commodities  we  had  brought  out  for  the  purpose 
of  trading  with  the  Esquimaux  were  nearly  expended; 
the  consequence  was,  that  the  supplies  of  fresh  meat 
which  we  had  hitherto  obtained  from  the  natives  now 
became  more  scanty.  Latterly,  these  people  had  visited 
us  but  seldom,  as  they  never  leave  their  houses  in  the 
winter  except  in  cases  of  absolute  necessity.  The  want 
of  fresh  meat  caused  the  scurvy  to  prevail  among  us 
more  extensively  than  ever.  In  the  latter  part  of  De- 
cember nearly  all  of  our  men  were  sick ;  and  it  was 
very  perceptible  that  unices  they  could  have  the  benefit 
of  a  salutary  change  of  diet,  the  death  of  some  of  tliem 
would  be  inevitable.     The  dogs  were  dying  in  great 


■'jJ!.l,-:fe:£f,ferti.L'J-. 


QR1NNELL   EXFLORINO   EXPEDlTIOir. 


199^^ 


numbers — literally  starving  to  death.     In  this  contin- 
gency,  Dr.  Kane  and  Petersen  started  in  a  dog-sledge  - 
for  the  nearest  Esquimaux  settlement,  called  Etah, 
with  the  hope  of  procuring  some  meat ;  but  the  severity 
of  the  eotd  compelled  them  to  turn  back  before  they ' 
had  accomplished  their  purpose.     Several  other  parties  < 
were  sent  out  with  the  same  result.     At  last  Dr.  Kane 
dispatched  Hans  Christian  on  a  similar  mission,  havings ' 
a  notion  that  the  hardihood  of  this  young  native  would 
enable  him  to  perform  the  task.  Hans  gave  me  an  expres->  ■ 
sive  glance  when  he  took  his  departure,  and  I  judged 
then  that  he  did  not  intend  to  return.     I  mentioned 
in  a  foriQer  part  of  this  narrative  that  he  had  entrusted 
me  with  the  secret  of  a  love  affair  in  which  he  was  ent- 
gaged,  and  I  suspected  that  he  was  now  about  to  settle 
down  as  a  married  man.     The  event  seemed  to  confirm 
my  suspicions,  for  he  remained  absent  for  more  than 
three  weeks*, '■*f'^-f,,r'fMa"  i^s5f^'»'^?w  '■^'mv'^.*i-'V'm*''^iim%^m''ii:!^^f^^  • 

In  the  meanwhile,  the  st«ite  of  affiiirs  on  board  be^* 
came  almost  desperate.  Several  of  our  men  appeared^ 
to  be  at  the  point  of  death ;  their  sufferings  were  mosi 
distressing ;  and  all  this  misery  proceeded  from  the 
want  of  suitable  food ;  and  it  appeared  to  me  that,  with 
a  little  energetic  exertion,  this  necessary  af tide  mielat 
be  obtained.  As  I  was  in  good  health,  and  was  always 
willing  to  undertake  any  labor  for  the  good  of  our  littW 
community,  I  wondered  that  our  commander  did  not 
send  me  on  a  provision-hunting  expedition,  as  every 
other  healthy  man  on  board  had  been  dispatched  on 
this  errand.     The  reason  why  he  did  not  send  me  has 


«:■■ 


"'Tl  ^I•"-"■■^V'W,J^ 


,^:  >-^T 


200 


OODIHIT'S  NAmUTiyS  OF  Tn»'^ 


been  subsequently  explainod  by  the  Commander  hirosclf. 
He  was  **  afraid  that  I  might  meet  or  waylay  Hana 
Christian  on  the  route  and  murder  him !"  Good  heavens ! 
how  could  Dr.  Kane  have  harbored  the  suspicion  that  it 
was  possible  for  me  to  perpetrate  such  a  crime?  Had 
he  ever  seen  anything  assassin-like  in  my  conduct? 
When  the  reader  has  accompanied  me  through  this 
narrative^  he  may  come  to  the  conclusion  that  Dr. 
Kane  himself  was  quite  as  likely  to  commit  such  a  deed 
of  blood  as  William  Godfrey.  /  never  attempted  to 
shoot  a  man  on  a  slight  provocation,,  and  without  any 
coloring  of  law  or  justice;  nor  have  I  ever  shown  a 
dis'^ositioi^  to  assail  the  person  or  the  reputation  of  a 
man  whom  I  supposed  to  be  defenseless.  Were  Dr. 
Kane  now  living,  I  should  speiak  Of  the  events  I  am 
about  to  record  in  a  manner  which  might  be  unpleasant 
to  the  feelings  of  his  enthusiastic  admirers;  but  as  the 
man  who  was  my  enemy  without  a  cause  has  gone  to 
his  final  account,  I  shall  say  no  more  than  is  absolutely 
necessary  for  my  own  vindication,  '^ti  .-  -  >> 
\  Among  other  unwarrantable  liberties  which  Dr. 
Kane  has  taken  with  my  name  and  character,  I  find 
the  following  mention  of  me  in  his  published  journal : 
**  I  had  on  board  a  couple  of  men,  William  Godfrey  and 
John  Blake,  whose  former  history  I  would  like  to  know 
—bad  follows  both  of  them,  but  daring,  energetic  and 
strong."  If  Dr.  Kane  had  any  curiosity  to  know  ii:; 
"  former  history"  he  might  have  been  gratified,  if  he 
had'  merely  hinted  his  wishes  to  myself.     I  could  have 


told  him  a  vUic,  uv>i<  vl  vriiiio  UUb  Ol  oUrroW,  WiiiCU  lUi^U' 


•»     frfSSfi       Yti\¥     £\T     f*««'»«'»>*     r\i»^    r^*     nr\«*tta^x 


«av      «n 


Kt^Vk    mirrht. 


> 


GBINNIUi  BXFLOaiNO  EXKDITION 


aoi 


have  disarmed  his  prejudices  and  ill-will.     As  the  name 
of  John  Blake  appears  above,  in  an  unfortunate  con- 
nection, I  must  do  him  the  justice  to  say,  that  I  know 
DO  reason  why  he  deserved  to  be  called  a  **  bad  fellow,'* 
more  than  any  other  person  on  board  of  the  brig  Ad- 
vancef  except  that  it  was  his  misfortune,  as  well  as 
mine,  not  to  please  Dr.  Kane.     He  was  no  hypocrite, 
no  sycophant,  he  was  not  slavishly  submissive  to  his 
superior,  he  would  swear  a  little  sometimes,  and  would 
occasionally  go  to  sleep  in  the  midst  of  one  of  the 
Doctor's  religious  exhortations ;  and  I  believe  that  was 
the  most  damnable  sin  that  the  recording  angel  ever 
set  down  to  his  account.    For  all  these  things  Blake 
did  penance,  and  is  therefore,  (according  to  the  Catho- 
lic doctrine,)  entitled  to  forgiveness;  unless  it  should 
be  urged  that  his  penance  was  involuntary.     Once, 
when  he  complained  of  being  unwell,  and  showed  a  dis- 
iDclination  for  some  task  which  the  Doctor   imposed  on 
him,  our  '*  mild  and  gentle"  Commander  struck  him  on 
the  head  with  a  handspike,  inflicting  a  wound  which 
placed  his  life  at  some  hazard,    v  m'  5^«»  ^^^^^  ^'  *.i*4W 
To  show  how  apt  Dr.  Kane  was  to  misconstrue  a 
man's  character,  I  will  refer  to  the  glowingly  favorable 
account  he  has  given  of  that   "  pious  youth,"  Hans 
Christian.     This  sly  and  sedate  individual  had  the  au- 
dacity to  fall  in  love  without  his  Commander's  permis- 
sion, and  while  he  was  professing  the  most  unbounded 
affection  for  the  Doctor,  and  declaring  his  perfect  satis* 
faction  with  his  situation  on  board  of  the  Advance,  ho  was 
making  preparations  to  **  yamoose"  at  the  first  opportu- 


■■« 


:^. 


a^^-. 


%   ;f 


'%^. 


».  «' 


'%. 


:f*'-"^:-7f  -    I**; 


•'^vr"-.- 


t02 


"^  GODTRIT^B  NARBATnE  01  THB 


'    ■  ■• 

■^.. 

^ 

fc-        ^     ■ 

«. 

Ih^ 

(|».s4M»"-« 

_ 

&'. 

r 

nity.  I  have  confessed  that  he  made  me  acquainted  whH 
his  design  ;  for  which  I  could  not  hlamo  him,  as  his  term 
of  service  had  expired,  and  he  had  a  right  to  follow  his 
own  inclinations.  I  thought  so  at  leasti  and  I  did  npt 
choose  to  become  an  informer.      '-**.'*  v  ?  ^'*  . ; 

If  was  mentioned  above  that  Hans  had  been  sent  to 
the  settlement  of  Etah  for  provisions.  He  had  been 
abse^nt  several  weeks,  and  but  one  person  on  board 
eould  guess  at  the  cause  of  his  detention.  Mean^YhiIc 
the  sickness  and  distress  on  board  increased  daily, 
until  I  could  bear  the  sight  of  my  comrades'  misery  no 
longer^  As  I  had  once  been  dismissed  from  the  brig, 
and  had  never  entered  into  any  new  contract  with  the 
Commander,  I  considered  myself  under  no  obligation 
to  wait  for  the  orders  which  I  saw  plainly  that  he  did 
not  intend  to  give.  Believing  that  it  was  in  my  power 
to  supply  my  companions  with  the  means  of  health  and 
comfort,  I  resolved  to  start  forthwith  for  the  Esqui- 
maux village..  I  did  not  ask  Dr.  Kane's  permission, 
for  several  reasons.  1.  I  thought  that  such  an  appli- 
cation to  him  would  be  an  acknowledgment  of  his  au- 
thority to  control  my  movements.  2.  I  had  reason  to 
believe  that  he  would  not  give  his  consent.  3.  He 
might  forbid  me  to  go;  and  I  judged  that  if  it  were  a 
fault  for  me  to  go  without  orders,  it  would  be  a  still 
greater  fault  to  go  agmmt  orders. 

Without  making  any  communication  to  Dr.  Kane  on 
the  subject,  I  started  on  foot,  about  the  latter  part  of 
February,  1854,  and  walked  ninety-five  miles  over  the 
ierto  1^  Esquimaux  village  called  Etah.     Several  of 


-liT^gi 


^^m^ 


""S^- 


Qtmnmj*  iiU!M2iiBf0  ix¥B9inoir. 


SOS 


our  company^  including  Pr.  Kane  himself,  Had  at  differ 
ent  times,  attempted  to  make  this  journey  in  dog- 
sledges,  hut  were  driven  back  by  the  severity  of  the 
cold.  I  traveled  the  whole  distance  on  foot,  Without 
pausing  to  rest  but  once,  and  with  nothing  to  eat  during 
the  whole  walk  except  two  hard  biscuits.  The  reader 
will  observe  that  I  was  obliged  to  keep  in  constant 
motion  to  avoid  freezing,  as  I  had  no  blanket  or 
buffalo-skin  to  wrap  myself  in  if  I  felt  disposed  to  sleep. 
I  had  the  ill-luck  to  encounter  a  severe  snow-storm 
when  about  half-way,  and  I  took  shelter  under  the  lee 
of  an  ice-hill,  where  J  remained  for  two  hours^  at  the 
great  risk  of  my  life;  for  had  I  fallen  asleep  I  might 
have  awaked  in  heaven.  Had  I  kept  on  while  the  snow 
was  falling  rapidly,  I  would  probably  have  been  struck 
with  snow-blindness ;  in  that  case  I  should  have  lost 
my  way,  having  no  companion  to  guide  me,  and  I  must 
have  perished.  Traveling  alone  in  these  regions  is  so 
very  dangerous,  that  unless  a  man  knows  well  what  he 
can  endure,  he  should  never  undertake  it.  I  made 
this  journey  in  thirty  hours.  ...,,',:  ':' :  o:  *,-.,,»/ 
On  my  arrival  at  Etah,  I  found  our  truant,  Hans 
Christian,  domesticated  in  the  hut  of  his  intended 
father-in-law.  He  excused  himself  for  not  coming 
back  with  the  sledge  and  provisions,  by  stating  that  he 
had  been  very  sick.  I  judged  that  he  had  merely  been 
love-sick ;  but  knowing  how  to  excuse  a  lover's  foibles, 
I  did  not  reproach  him.  Kalutunah,  Shangheu  and 
some  other  distinguished  citizens  of  Etah,  prepared  a, 
rich  banquet  of  seal-meat  in.  honor  of  my  arrival,  and 


# 


.*^^ 


S04 


OODnST'S  NABBATXVl  OF  THl  -J 


they  appeared  to  be  much  grieved  when  thej  under- 
stood that  I  could  make  but  a  short  stay.  When  I 
made  them  acquainted  with  the  destitution  of  my  com- 
panioift  on  shipboard,  they  made  a  contribution  of 
Real  and  walrus-flesh,  amounting  to  about  450  pounds, 
for  which  I  was  unable  to  offer  them  any  recompense, 
and  none  was  demanded.  After  resting  myself  for 
four  hours,  I  took  the  sledge  and  dog-team  which  Hans 
had  brought  to,  the  settlement  with  him,  and  having 
put  the  provisions  which  had  been  gi?en  me  on  board, 
I  took  leave  of  my  friends  and  started  on  my  return. 
Before  I  left,  however,  I  advised  Hans  Christian  to 
CQU^p  back  and  stay  with  us  a  little  while  longer,  as  I 
thought  it  probably  that  the  Expedition  would  proceed 
homeward  in  the  Spring ;  and  in  that  Cbse,  Hans  would 
be  honorably  dismissed  from  the  service,  as  he  would 
not  be  expected  to  leave  his  native  country.  In  com- 
pliance with  my  advice,  he  promised  to  return  to  the 
brig  as  soon  as  an  opportunity  offered. 


.rt'ti-.s;  ■  vi.-if  ■i»:;f>.'/ :V-»  <•  ..,.^.;/?^>            ■.      •■•   ■'«•.•    ;■■■■•  I,    ' 

.   ;:'^  "t^ff" 

'>--•'-■•-";•■■' 

'^flrii  .^-^r'r 'W<^''frv'*' -y :'  '*'■' '  ■  ■■'  '••  ^  ■      '  ' 

■■■'  '  x^U-' ' 

4               *      '                  , 

mi 


^..•v, 


9'-  mi'  ■  ■■    ■  ■■mii^^V '  '--^-f^f^r'  ''J0'^^  ;:'v,^^|V>.  'M\ 


:/?^.  i 


t  * 


-.■* 


^•_        V  ^.M-i-<         ^ 


•  % 


OAldNEUi  iXPUHUNO  IXISDlTtON. 


$Q(i 


•■^i:*- 


ff 


:;V»v*\i''' 


W.  4«|4> .  A  •■.l|»  /  ,  ."^  I  V,y 


i^,>.' 


CHAPTER    XX. 


'"« s^t' 


.,  ^^  J 


_..»■■..*-  - .    * 


•t     ;/ 


Tiris  AUtHOR  BETUItNl  TO  THE  BRIO  WlTtt  A  LOAD  Of 
FRESH  MEAT — HIS  WARM  RECEPTION — HE  BECOMES  A  • 

TAROET  FOR  PISTOL  AND  RIFLE  PRACTICE — REFUSES 
TO  COME  ON  BOARD — DR.  KANE  AND  BONSALL  TRY  * 
TO  COMPEL  HIM — HE  TREATS  THE  DOCTOR  DISRE-  •' 
SPECTFULLT  AND  RETIRES  UNDER  A  GALLING  FIRE — 
HIS  DESPERATE  JOURI^ET  BACK  TO  ETAH — HE  IS 
OVERPOWERED  BT  THE  COLD,  AND  SINKS  DOWN  IN  A 
SNOW-DRIFT — HIS  PROVIDENTIAL  ESCAPE. 

»  -  •      ■  ■  .    ,^*z^ ' 

^  \,r  ..\-..:  .'-I  ':■... :    .  ^'   Li.  ■  ' .  \' ■■• ..  -..1.: 

As  my  dogs  were  fresh  and  vigor6Q8,'a!le'r  tbeir  long 
rest  at  the  settlement,  they  traveled  very  rapidly.  As 
my  business  was  urgent,  I  stopped  but  two  or  throe 
times  on  the  way,  and  then  only  long  enough  to  feed 
the  animals  and  give  them  a  little  rest.  I  felt  some 
doubts  arising  as  to  the  reception  I  should  meet  with 
when  I  arrived  at  the  vessel,  but  I  hoped  that  my  suc- 
cess in  procuring  food  for  the  starving  people  would  be 
a  sufficient  apology  for  my  unauthorized  absence.  I 
made  up  mind,  however,  hot  to  go  on  board  until  I  was 
assured  of  meeting  with  friendly  treatment.  When 
about  fifty  yards  from  the  vessel,  I  stopped  and  hailed 
with  the  customary,  "  Ship  ahoy !"  Bonsall  appeared  #g^ 
at  the  side,  and  I  requested  him  to  call  ud  Dr.  Kano. 
18     '  # 


-  ,1. 


wn 


QOprRXY'a  NABBATIVB  Of  'JUM 


H 


i\ 


The  eonifnan^r  loon  presented  himself^  and  I  accosted 
him  08  nearly  is  I  can  remember  with  the  following 
words :  *'  Dr.  Kane,  I  have  brought  i^ovao  fresh  provi. 
sions  for  the  use  of  my  suffering  companions.     I  am 
about  to  return  for  some  more,  and  I  hope  you  will 
send  some  of  your  men  to  take  these  on  board."    He 
did  not  answer  me  for  several  minutes,  but  appeared  t'^ 
be  reflecting  what  he  should  do.     At  length  he  <  'id, 
"William,  you  had  better  come  on  board."    T  rep*;jL, 
"That  is  unnecessary,  Dr.  Kane ;  here  is    a    meat; 
will  you  be  kind  enough  to  send  some  of  your  people  fo; 
it  ?"    He  then  said,  in  a  peremptory  tone,  "  I  tell  yoQ, 
you  must  come  on  board."   To  this  I  promptly  answeced, 
"  I  will  not."    "  If  you  do  not,"  said  he,  "  I  will  shoot 
you  !"*    During  this  conversation.  Dr.  Kane  had  de- 
scended from  the  vessel's  side  to  the  ice  and  approached 
me.    I  me:  him  half  way,  and  when  he  spoke  of  shoot* 
ing  me,  we  were  scarcely  two  yards  apart.    He  put  his 
hand  into  his  pocket,  as  if  to  draw  out  a  pistol.    "Dr. 
Kane,"  said  I,  "you  cannot  frighten  me  in  this  way, 
and  I  thought  that  you  knew  me  too  well  to  make  the 
attempt.     Hans  was  sick  and  not  able  to  come  witK 
the  provisions ;  I  have  brought  them,  and  ask  you  to 
opply  them  to  the  relief  o(  jum  ^invving  crew.    Is  thi? 
an  offense  which  deserves  '.'o;pItu,i  ^.anishmoiit?"    He 
replied,  "I  do  not  punish  you  for  bringing  the  provi* 
sions,  but  far  leaving  your  vessel  without  permission." 
Suid  I :  "  I  have  been  discharged  from  the  brig,  and 
am  no  longer  under  your  command;    but   had  you 
treat;  jd  mo  in  a  proper  manner,  I  would  have  rcuiainod 


II      (■ 


icostcd 
[lowing 
provi- 
I  am 
ott  will 
•'    He 
lared  *'' 
ke  v'id, 
pep».ju, 
meat; 
ople  fo: 
ell  yoa, 
tsweced, 
ill  shoot 
had  de- 
roaohod 
)f  shoot- 
put  his 
"Dr. 
lis  vay, 
lake  the 
me  witK 
you  to 
Is  tb'? 
?"    He 

e  provi* 

•    •  _ »' 
iission. 

d 


an 


ng, 

lad  you 
cmainoJ 


% 


'  "i^**  ^- s^- 


■\*\ 


^ 


"*5'ft 


*f^5,5ifS!iift  '  ■*4Si^-M 7M . '  ««-**i|^5«*<>- 


;fSj 


i»'A<* 


\n.'.^4 


it'if#i 


\  > 


•M:' 


ft.  MVf*v^     A* 


."s; 


T»^ 


'i-H}t 


.ft.  >,*^ 


f;.- 


,'*:?. 


>.**  <> 


'"if  ^ 


V,.  1,    *   -\ ■*">*.- 


.'''' 


-.W     I. 


'i-f^ 


■mv■^ 


'(^i. 


^•t 


V  I       ,'.' 


t* 


l^-fi'i' 


iV 


vs' 


i<.  it 


>- 


•5,    >»  .'- 


:-** 


t         V 


^lii^i 


4«;ih»  ' 


\      tf 


J  i 


f  f   •'  ,    ■» , ,    *•  f» 


.1         t  -^  J- ,  !■• 


•  ^  V 


GBINNELL  EXPLOIUNO   EXPEI>ITI(»ir. 


200 


■  iM<^ 

^  ^-'i: 

^>^^l. 

• 

.>^     «'.  ^ 

V 

#      -, 

■\  *  mi 

■■» 

tv-  iv^Sf 


.4;>. 


,-   ■    it... 


with  you  as  long  aa  my  services  were  required."  To 
this  he  answered)  *'If  you  will  not  come  on  board, 
como  nearer  the  side,  while  I  try  to  conyinoe  you  that 
you  are  under  a  mistake."  • /,    :       ^    ,,♦..•  av. 

I  complied  with  this  request,  &nd,  as  soon  as  we  came 
near  the  companion-way,  the  Doctor  called  for  Bonsall, 
who  immediately  came  down  on  the  ice.  The  Doctor 
then  repeated,  *'You  must  go  on  board."  Said  I: 
''If  you  choose  to  murder  me,  you  may;  but  go  on 
board  I  will  not."  Dr.  Kane  thf^n  drew  a  pistol  and 
gave  it  to  Bonsall,  directing  him  to  shoot  me  if  I  at- 
tempted to  go  away.  The  Doctor  then  ascended  the 
companion-ladder,  and  went  on  board.  I  turned  to 
Bonsall  and  Bald,  '*  Comrade,  do  you  intend  to  shool; 
me?"  He  answered,  "  I  will  shoot  you,  if  you  offer  to 
leave  the  side  of  the  brig."  "Then,"  said  I,  "you 
must  shoot,  for  I  am  going  this  moment ;"  and  I  suited 
the  action  to  the  word,  walking  very  deliberately  toward 
my  sledge.  Bonsall  presented  his  pistol  and  pulled  the 
trigger,  but  the  cap  exploded  without  communicating 
with  the  charge.  Dr.  Kane  now  appeared  on  deck, 
and  seeing  me  in  the  act  of  walking  off,  he  snatched  a 
rifle  from  the  gun-stand,  for  the  purpose  of  shooting 
me,  as  he  fully  admits  in  his  journal ;  but,  owing  to 
his  haste  in  handling  the  weapon,  it  went  off  before  he 
could  bring  it  to  bear.  He  caught  up  another  rifle, 
oocked  it,  took  deliberate  aim,  and  fired.  The  bullet 
\Nhistled  as  it  passed  my  head;  but  God,  being  more 
nierciful  than  this  amiable  and  saintly  naval  officer, 

protected  me  from  harm.     I  then  bowed  to  the  Doctor, 

18*  .  ' 


.\1^,:  f'jryti:^;.- 


■'^%i 


^/r^' 


no 


QODVBET'S  NABttATTVE  Of  THI 


in  acknowledgment  of  his  intended  kindness,  and  ad- 
vised him  to  go  below  and  compose  himself.  ^*  When 
your  nerves  are  steadier/'  said  I,  ^'perhapayou  may 
shoot  with  more  effect."  He  stood  gazing  at  me  as  if 
astonished  at  my  audacity.  I  walked  a  few  paces 
further,  and  then  turned  and  addressed  him  again: 
*^  Dr.  Kane,  as  you  will  not  order  your  men  to  unload 
the  sledge,  I  shall  have  to  go  back  without  it.  But  no 
matter ;  I  have  walked  to  Etah  once,  and  I  can  do  so 
again.  I  shall  borrow  a  sledge  there,  and  return  with 
another  load  of  meat.  In  the  mean  time,  you  can 
practice  with  the  rifle  until  I  come  back  and  offer  yoo 
a  chance  for  another  shot."  '  ^  :'-l:-'i-^'  .  • 
Then,  leaving  the  sledge,  with  its  load,  on  the  ic^,  I 
bowed  again  to  the  Doctor  and  departed.  My  former 
journey  on  foot  to  Etah  was  one  of  unexampled  hard- 
ship and  danger,  but  the  repetition  of  that  journey,  at 
a  time  when  I  was  already  exhausted  with  fatigue,  was 
a  desperate  undertaking.  I  expected  to  die  on  the 
way ;  but  I  preferred  this  alternative  to  making  that 
submission  which  my  late  Commander  required.  I  felt 
revengeful  enough  against  Dr.  Kane  to  wish  that  he 
had  killed  me,  so  that  he  might  experience  the  pangs 
of  remorse.  When  I  had  plodded  on  my  weary  way 
for  several  hours,  the  thought  suddenly  occurred,  to  me 
that  I  was  without  a  morsel  of  food,  and  that  it  would 
be  impossible  for  me  to  obtain  any  before  I  came  to 
Etah.  '^But  that  matters  little,  (I  soliloquized,)  it 
is  not  likely  that  I  shall  die  of  hunger."  ^* 

T      ».^<]^      4.1.!«.       *^...»._i_     _i.      1.1.. ^J i. J        J-_1..<.i.      M.MMlAll 

A  luauo  btiiD  juuiuej  ab  uic  cuiucsb  uuu  uur&esi/  pcixvu 


■'■•."T^'W"^.  :o€r',  ."i^t;  f^  ■' 


qrinneLl  exploring  expedition. 


211 


of  the  arctic  winter.  The  temperature  must  have  been 
at  letist  fifty  degrees  below  zero.  My  limbs  became 
gtiffer  every  moment,  and  a  drowsy  feeling  crept  over 
me  in  spite  of  every  effort  to  resist  it.  Often  did  1 
feel  strongly  tempted  to  lie  down, 


*'  Aod  vrith  one  dying  glance  upbraid  the  sky ;" 


,*^: 


but  better  feelings  prevailed;  and  I  looked  up  to 
Heaven  with  affectionato  confidence,  remembering  that 
man  alono  was  my  enemy.  I  felt,  however,  that  the 
catastrophe  was  approaching.  My  physical  energies  ^ 
bad  been  tried  to  their  utmost  powers  of  endurance, 
and  they  failed  at  last.  I  felt  an  oppressive  weight  on 
my  brain ;  my  limbs  were  immovable ;  I  tottered  and 
Bank  into  a  deep  snow-drift.  Then  I  recognized  the 
certainty  of  my  fate,  recommended  myself  to  Divine 
morcy,  and  became  insensible. 

But  a  few  minutes  could  have  elapsed,  I  think,  be- 
fore I  recovered  my  senses.  I  felt  no  pain — no  un- 
pleasant sensation  of  any  kind — but  was  extremely 
drowsy;  and  although  quite  conscious  that  sleep  and 
death,  at  that  time,  were  one  and  the  same  thing,  that 
thought  would  not  have  prevented  me  from  indulging 
my  somnolent  inclination.  In  such  circumstances  sleep 
is  80  fascinating  and  attractive,  that  the  gloomy  aspect 
of  his  ''  half-brother"  ceases  to  be  terrible.  A  touch 
of  the  ice-king's  sceptre  then  becomes  as  potent  and 
iiresistible  us  the  somniferous  influences  of  Prospero's 
V{i«d.  But,  while  my  physical  powers  succumbed  to 
the  antagonism  of  natural  causes,  my  spirit  resrsted, 


% 


S12 


GODFREY'S  NARRATIVE  OF  THE 


*! 


.f 


and  prompted  me  to  attempt  one  more  struggle  for  my 
life.  I  felt  that  it  was  unmanly  to  be  victimized  hy 
any  earthly  power,  without  resisting  to  the  last  ex 
tremity.  With  a  desperate  effort  I  arose  to  my  feet, 
and  gave  myself  a  severe  buffet  in  the  face,  which  ef- 
fectually awakened  me.  In  fact,  the  pain  of  the  bruise 
kept  me  wide  awake  for  three  hours  afterward.  Strange 
as  it  may  seem,  when  I  again  began  to  walk  I  found 
myself  much  refreshed.  I  judged  that  while  my  senses 
were  absent  I  had  enjoyed  the  benefit  of  a  short  sleep. 
#  I  had,  on  several  former  occasions,  observed  the  wonder- 
,  fully  renovating  effect  of  a  very  short  slumber,  when 
arctic  wayfarers  appear  to  be  completely  overcome  by 
cold  and  fatigue.  One  instance  occurs  to  my  remem- 
brance. When  the  rescue  party,  mentioned  in  a  former 
chapter,  were  returning  to  the  brig,  and  the  men  seemed 
to  be  entirely  worn  out  by  toil  and  hardship,  each  was 
allowed  to  sleep  for  two  minutes  while  sitting  on  the 
side  of  the  sledge.  They  were  aroused  in  time  to  pre- 
vent fatal  consequences ;  but  this  sleep  of  only  two 
minutes  duration  appeared  to  restore  (^11  their  animation 
and  vigor.    "        .  •  V'?-^^     ;«   .,  .;^.  ^    .  ...^ w^  - 

,  My  falling  into  the  deep  snow-drift  (as  mentioned 
above,)  was  a  providential  circumstance,  as  a  man  is 
much  less  likely  to  freeze  in  a  pile  of  snow  than  on  the 
naked  ice.  After  I  had  recovered  my  power  of  loco- 
motion, I  struggled  onward  with  some  degree  of  speed 
for  the  first  twenty  miles,  but  afterward  with  a  slow  and 
irregular  pace,  like  the  movements  of  a  somnambuliat. 
I  have  no  recollection  of  anv  thine  that  occurred  during 


\  r  'T.-'y;  i-"(?^iv.'=^r*rT'"'^'  ■■""''■'' 


^     ■■'■'W-^w------ 


GRINNEIX  EXPLOBINQ  EXPEDITION. 


213 


i\\e  last  forty  miles  of  ipy  journey,  and  I  am  totally  un- 
able to  comprehend  how  it  was  possible  for  me  to  travel 
at  all.  It  is  a  still  greater  mystery  how  I  could  keep 
in  the  right  course.  I  learned  afterward  from  the  Es- 
quimaux of  Etah,  that  they  saw  me  approaching  their 
settlement,  and  ran  out  to  meet  me.  They  found  that 
my  eyes  were  closed,  and  that  I  was  unable  to  answer 
any  questions.  The  charitable  natives  took  me  into 
one  of  their  huts,  chafed  my  half-frozen  limbs,  and  ad- 
ministered to  my  necessities  with  the  most  anxious  at- 
tention. I  slept  fifteen  hours  without  intermission,  and, 
on  awaking,  found  myself  as  well  and  as  vigorous  as 
ever. 


GODFREY  FAINTS  fROM  UARDSHIPS. 


'<•■•■'-  ■>'■ 


2U 


Q0PrRKY*8  NARRATIVE  OF  TUB 


P' 


van 


',  .     ■  .  •-         -      .  ■  ,      .  .         .      •  .  ■      , 


^^  >«&     ;     CHAPTER    XXI. 


HANS  CHRISTIAN  PROVES  THAT  FEAR  CAN  MAKE  A  MAN 
SICK  AS  WELL  AS  LOVE— GODFREY  CONTINUES  TO 
SUPPLY  THE  brio's  COMPANY  WITH  PROVISIONS— DR. 
KANE  SENDS  ANOTHER  ORDER  FOR  HIM  TO  COME  ON 
BOARD^HB     DISOBEYS — THE    DOCTOR     COMES    AFTER 

*-  HIM — ^AN  EXCITING  DIALOGUE  BETWEEN  KANE  AND 
GODFREY — WHEN  THREATS  FAIL,  GODFREY  YIELDS  TO 
PERSUASION — HE  RETURNS  TO  THE  BRIG,  AND  MEETS 
WITH  A   CORDIAL  RECEPTION  FROM  HIS  COMRADES. 


Hans  Christian  still  remained  at  Etah.  When  I 
gave  him  an  account  of  my  last  interview  with  Dr. 
Kane,  he  was  very  much  alarmed  lest  the  commander 
should  have  Jiim  arrested  and  punished  as  a  deserter. 
My  story  first  made  him  aware  of  the  great  fault  he  had 
committed  by  absenting  himself  from  the  brig  without 
leave.  His  mind  was  so  much  exercised  by  the  dread 
of  Dr.  Kane's  resentment,  that  he  became  sick  in 
reality,  and  I  was  obliged  to  nurse  him  for  two  or  three 
days.  I  inspired  him  with  fresh  courage  by  assur- 
ing him  that  all  would  be  well  enough  if  he  should  re- 
turn to  his  duty,  which  he  promised  to  do.  As  soon  as 
he  was  well  enough  to  be  out,  he  and  I  began  to  hunt. 


in  Older  to  raise  another 


supply  of  provisions  for  the 


.  r    ■■.%■,■»  T-  ■■  ■■• 


GBINNELL  EXPLOBXNO  KXPIDITION. 


215 


people  on  board  of  the  Advunce,  as  I  did  not  wish  to 
exact  too  much  from  the  charity  of  the  Esquimaux ; 
in  fact,  they  had  already  given  us  as  much  meat  as  they 
could  easily  spare.  When  our  hunting  had  furnished 
us  with  a  considerable  amount  of  provisions,  consisting 
of  arctic  rabbits,  foxes,  and  seal  and  walrus-flesh,  I  bor- 
rowed a  sledge  from  Kalnuch,  (one  of  the  men  of  Etah,) 
and  sent  Hans  with  a  good  load  of  eatables  to  the  brig. 
I  sent  him,  instead  of  going  myself,  in  order  to  give 
him  an  opportunity  to  make  his  peace  with  the  Doctor. 
As  Mr.  Christian  was  a  perfect  adept  in  the  art  of 
blarney,  he  soon  succeeded  in  re-establishing  himself 
in  the  good  graces  of  the  Commander.  *  -  -'^  «^  ;  "*  . 
A  week  after  the  departure  of  Hans,  he  returned 
with  the  borrowed  sledge,  and  brought  a  verbal  man- 
date from  Dr.  Kane,  requiring  me  to  come  to  the  vessel 
without  delay.  Of  course  I  paid  no  attention  to  this 
summons.  Soon  after  Hans  returned,  I  borrowed  a 
sledge  and  dog-team  from  one  of  my  Esquimaux  friends 
named  Metek,  and  drove  to  another  settlement  eighty- 
five  miles  from  Etah,  where  I  negotiated  for  a  load  of 
provisions;  and  on  my  return  to  Etah,  I  sent  Hans 
again  to  the  ship  with  these  new  supplies.  On  this 
trip  Hans  was  accompanied  by  Metek.  In  the  mean- 
while I  remained  at  Etah,  living  with  the  Esquimaux, 
and  adapting  myself  as  much  as  possible  to  their  habits 
and  customs.  Our  usual  food  was  dried  walrus-meat 
end  blubber.  I  made  myself  useful  to  my  kind  friends 
of  this  settlement,  hunting  with  them,  and  assisting 
them  in  their  various  domestic  occupations.     Among 


•%4 

ASA 

■■..if J 


iV-.  'j^;^  *4a«'.  ■ 


:.«A/ 


iii6 


^eoDFRiT's  naubativk  or  thb 


tbe  ladies  I  was  a  great  favorite;  they  woald  give  me 
one  of  the  strongest  expressions  of  their  regard,  by 
biting  off  pieces  of  raw  meat  and  presenting  them  to 
me  from  their  own  mouths.  Such  delicate  attentioni 
flattered  me,  of  course ;  but  all  the  affectionate  treat* 
ment  I  met  with  did  not  quite  reconcile  me  to  my  pre- 
sent mode  of  life.  I  felt  home-sick  ;  and  several  times 
I  had  almost  resolved  to  start  off  on  foot  for  Uper- 
navick,  from  whence  I  might  obtaiu  a  passage  to  my 
own  country.  I  had  no  books  with  me,  and  nothing  to 
relieve  the  monotony  of  my  existence  except  smoking  a 
pipe.  I  had  no  pipe,  until  I  made  myself  one  of  the 
marrow-bones  of  a  sesil,  i^;ii<^.-ii\-'fL-  ^^:  -^^fi'^'ip-j:  ^'y.^^-  ry^i 
:  With  my  last  remaining  knife,  and  a  few  other 
articles  which  I  could  scarcely  spare^  I  purchased  an- 
other sledge-load  of  provisions,  and  sent  them  to  the 
brig  by  two  Esquimaux,  Miuke  and  Metek ;  the  latter 
having  returned  with  his  sledge,  leaving  Hans  at  the 
brig.  Thus  I  constituted  myself  a  purveyor  for  my 
comrades  on  board,  and  kept  them  constantly  supplied 
with  wholesome  victuals.  When  I  sent  the  last-men- 
tioned load  by  Miuke  and  Metek,  I  walked  ten  miles 
behind  their  sledge,  and  saw  them  fairly  started. 
When  I  parted  from  them,  I  requested  them  to  tell  Mr. 
Brooks  to  send  me  some  articles  suitable  for  traffic  with 
the  natives,  that  I  might  have  the  means  of  purchasing 
food  for  the  use  of  the  brig's  company.  Either  thi? 
message  was  not  delivered,  or  no  attention  was  paid 
to  it.  .^ 

At  the  end  of  five  da vs  Metek  returned,  bringing 


i  ■- 


■Vi**.'Av.iiv»-.vi. .- 


QRINNELL  SXVLOBINa    IXPIDlTIOtT. 


217 


Dr.  Kane  with  him,  and  leaving  Miuko  to  return  with 
Hans.  I  was  standing  at  the  door  of  a  hut  when  the 
sledge,  with  Metek  and  Dr.  Kane  on  board,  came  in 
sight.  Metek  hallooed  to  me  and  informed  me,  in  the 
Esquimaux  language,  that  *'  nally-gag"  (t.  e,  the  white 
captain)  had  a  pistol.  He  also  bawled  out  to  the  Women 
and  children  who  were  gathered  about  the  hut,  and 
ordered  them  to  keep  out  of  the  way.  He  evidently 
considered  **nally-gag"  as  a  very  dangerous  person. 

I  approached  the  sledge  and  saluted  Dr.  Kane  in  a 
very  respectful  manner,  inquiring  if  he  were  fatigued. 
He  replied,  **  Very  much  fatigued  and  very  cold."  In 
fact,  although  he  was  well  wrapped  up  in  furs  and  wool- 
ens, and  had  traveled  very  rapidly  in  the  dog-sledge, 
he  appeared  to  be  half-frozen.  I  got  him  into  a  hut, 
chafed  his  benumbed  limbs,  and  having  borrowed  a 
cooking  utensil  from  one  of  the  Esquimaux  women,  I 
prepared  the  Doctor  some  warm  broth.  He  had  brought 
some  ship-biscuit  with  him,  and  I  broke  several  of  these 
up  and  put  them  in  his  soup,  to  make  the  mess  more 
palatable.  After  he  had  eaten,  he  still  complained  of 
fatigue.  I  helped  bim  off  with  some  of  his  clothes  and 
put  him  to  bed,  where  he  slept  soundly  for  several 
hours.  When  he  awoke,  in  answer  to  my  inquiry  how 
he  felt,  he  replied  that  L.  was  very  much  refreshed, 
and  he  thanked  me  for  my  attentions.  He  then  asked 
me  what  were  my  reasons  for  staying  away  so  long 
from  the  brig,  where  my  services  were  required.  I  re- 
plied that  I  had  several  reasons  for  keeping  away ;  but 
the  principal  reason  was  that  I  could  be  more  useful  to 
X9 


> 


:  >   •v::''. 


2X8 


i  OOprBCY'S  NAIAATIVI  OF  THB 


my  oompanions  by  remaining  where  I  wag  and  sending 
them  food  at  every  opportunity.  **  Ay,"  said  the  Doc. 
tor,  "  but  you  are  setting  them  an  example  of  disobo 
dience  and  mutiny."  Said  I :  *'  They  will  not  so  under 
stand  it,  Dr.  Kane,  if  you  explain  to  them  that  I  was 
once  dismissed  from  the  Advance^  with  permission  to 
go  home.  My  engagement  was  thus  dissolved;  and 
when  I  re-entered  the  brig,  it  was  on  a  new  footing. 
You  might,  have  considered  me  as  your  guest,  or  as  a 
workman  temporarily  employed  on  board,  bat  you  bad 
no  right  to  subject  me  to  the  rigid  discipline  of  the 
naval  service."  He  answered :  **  These  are  questions 
foi^  lawyers  to  decide ;  but  until  a  legal  decision  is  given, 
you  are  bound  to  obey  my  orders ;  and  your  refusal  to 
come  on  board  when  I  command  you  to  do  so,  is  mu* 
tiny."  I  told  him  that  I  could  not  consider  myself 
under  obligation  to  be  any  man's  slave,  and  to  remain 
in  a  slavish  condition,  until  the  laws  should  decide  that 
I  was  a  freeman.  He  replied:  **I  am  not  bound  to 
consider  pice  points  of  law  in  a  case  of  this  kind.  It 
is  enough  that  the  law  has  put  it  in  my  power  to  en- 
force obedience  to  my  orders."  **  If  the  law  has  given 
you  such  power,"  said  I,  "why  do  you  not  use  it?" 
"  This  is  setting  me  at  defiance,"  said  the  Doctor,  "but 
you  forget  that  I  can  send  a  force  from  the  brig  that 
will  be  sufficient  to  arrest  you;  and  if  I  do  so,  it  will 
be  necessary  to  administer  a  severe  punishment." 
"When  you  have  arrested  me,"  said  I,  "it  will  be  time 
enough  to  speak  of  punishment.  You  have  no  right  to 
command  me,  and  I  will  not  obey  you.     If  any  of  your 


hT^-.. 


QRINMKLL  IXPLORINQ  XXPIDITION. 


91» 


men  think  that  they  can  arrest  me,  let  them  com«i  and 
try  the  experiment."     '<»■  a*:-^*'.- Akitli*  uit^i 

After  a  pause  of  several  minutes,  the  Doctor,  who 
had  become  a  little  excited  toward  the  end  of  the  dia- 
logue just  reported,  became  more  calm,  and  inquired, 
**  What  do  you  intend  to  do  ?"  I  replied,  that  I  had 
partially  made  up  my  mind  to  go  to  Upernavick  with 
my  Esquimaux  friend  Metek,  who  was  inclined  to  visit 
that  place  and  had  offered  to  convey  me  thither  in  his 
dog-sledge.  From  Upernavick,  or  somd  other  southern 
port  of  Greenland,  I  hoped  to  obtain  a  passage  in  some 
vessel  to  the  United  States.  The  Doctor  answered; 
'*  You  had  better  abandon  this  project,  the  execution  of 
vhich  will  be  both  difficult  and  dangerous.  I  am  now 
making  preparations  to  return  to  our  own  country,  and 
I  find  that  your  assistance  is  indispensable.  It  will  be 
much  better  for  you  to  go  home  with  your  comrades, 
and  I  now  ask  you,  as  a  friend,  to  accompany  me  back 
to  the  brig."  I  answered  without  hesitation,  "  Dr. 
Kane,  since  you  ask  me  as  a  friend,  I  will  go  with  you." 
He  appeared  to  be  not  only  pleased,  but  surprised  at 
my  acquiescence;  but  if  the  Do'ctor  had  been  better 
acquainted  with  human  nature  in  general,  and  ray  na- 
ture in  particular,  ha  would  not  have  been  amazed  to 
find  that  kind  and  gentle  words  were  more  effective 
than  angry  threats  and  reproaches. 

The  ever-accommodating  Metek,  (who,  by  the  way, 
was  the  most  amiable  person,  savage  ox  civilized,  that 
ever  I  met  with,)  was  now  summoned ;  and  the  Doctor 
negotiated  with  him  for  the  use  of  his  sledge  and  team 


220 


QObniTt  NARRATIVl  OT  THl 


to  convey  us  to  the  vessel.  Metek,  who  was  afraid 
that  there  was  something  wrong  between  the  Doctor 
and  I,  wished  to  go  with  us.  He  took  me  apart  and 
told  me  thaw  he  was  afraid  that  ''nally-gag"  might 
take  a.  notion  to  shoot  me  on  the  way,  and  that  hid 
object  in  going  was  to  keep  a  watch  on  the  Captain's 
movements.  I  told  him  that  my  quarrel  with  the 
Captain  was  all  over,  and  that  we  were  as  good  friends 
as  ever.  ^*No,  no,"  said  Metek,  shaking  his  head, 
**  it 's  not  all  right  yet ;  I  see  it  in  his  eye  !"  And 
Metek  proved  to  be  a  more  accurate  observer  than 
myself.  ■-*♦  *'*flvi»'^*u,'r^»''.«'ii''»'**i»r"'»-.i^*:.>.  ,'  •.fc*'^»>lE..»t.s«,'*ii 
^  '  I  obtained  several  pieces  of  meat  on  credit,  promising 
to  send  some  small  articles  from  the  brig  to  pay  for 
them.  This  meat  I  placed  in  the  sledge ;  and,  as  the 
dogs  had  not  yet  recovered  from  the  fatigue  of  their 
late  journey,  I  told  the  Doctor  that  I  should  walk,  in 
order  that  the  animals  might  not  be  too  heavily  laden. 
Dr.  Kane  and  Metek  rode  in  the  8led,,and  I  ran  behind. 
In  this  way  we  traveled  twelve  miles,  when  I  became 
tired  of  running,  and  told  the  Doctor  that  he  and  Metek 
might  go  forward  with  the  sledge,  and  that  I  would 
walk  the  rest  of  the  way.  The  Doctor  told  me  that 
Hans  was  going  to  the  settlement  in  another  dog-sledge, 
that  I  should  meet  him  on  the  way,  and  that  he  would 
furnish  me  with  food  and  any  other  necessaries  that  I 
required.  I  told  Dr.  Kane  that  I  did  not  need  any 
thing,  that  I  had  traveled  on  this  route  twice  without 
provisions,  and  believing  that  I  could  do  so  again,  I 
would  not  deprive  Hans  of  the  articles  which  had  been 


ORUfNCLL  BXPLOBntO  BXPBDITION. 


921 


provided  for  his  own  comfort  on  the  way.  Kane  and 
Metek  then  drove  ahead  ;  I  followed  at  my  leisure,  and 
reach  .d  the  hrig  a  few  hours  after  their  arrival. 

I  met  with  a  cordial  reception  from  the  whole  hrig^s 
company.  A  magnificent  banquet  of  bean-soup,  (tlie 
best  entertainment  that  the  vessel  could  afford,)  was 
prepared  to  celebrate  my  return.  When  the  feasting 
and  jollification  were  over,  I  went  below  and  took  a 
long  sleep.  I  found  that  the  fresh  meat  which  I  had 
sent  on  board  had  been  extremely  useful  in  restoring 
the  men  to  health  and  renovating  their  good  spirits.  I 
assisted  my  comrades  in  making  preparations  for  our 
homeward  travel,  as  it  had  been  decided  that  we  should 
abandon  the  brig  early  in  the  spring,  and  attempt  a 
boat  and  sledge  journey  to  Upernaviok.  Dr.  Kane 
treated  me  well  enough ;  and  I  had  no  reason  to  suppose 
that  he  harbored  any  unkind  feelings  toward  me,  until 
the  mention  made  of  me  in  his  book  convinced  me  that 
I  had  not  quite  succeeded  in  gaining  bis  friendship.:'^ 


■^^'-^V'- 


«'      * 


l.\' 


19* 


> 


n. 


ik^- 


'-'.  ^>?^  4</i«>•Y^?A',^■' 


» ■,  ''■ 


i'l . 


■  ^  .   ''^ 


'n 


r- "> 


l*,< 


M;\i 


r--^k?^ 


•  -f  r 


5»'i' 


i'fXf:^'4:^. 


222 


QODFBEY'S  NABRATIVK  of  TBI 


■1     ' 


■  *>■  ,  •  •' 


K  ■ 


CHAPTER    XXII. 


'■'■J- 


J)R.  KANB  S  UNFAVORABLE  NOTICE  OF  GODFREY — CHAROB 
OP  DESERTION  AND  MUTINY — GODFREY'S  DEFENSE 
— COMMENTS  OP  THE  NORTH  BRITISH  REVIEW— TUAT 
PERIODICAL  CONDEMNS  DR.  KANE  AND  EXCULPATES 
GODFREY — GODFREY  SUBMITS  HIS  CASE  TO  THE  ARBI- 
TRATION   OF  PUBLIC    OPINIJN — A    WARNING    TO    0^ 


PRESSORS. 


The  incidents  detailed  in  the  last  two  or  three  chap- 
ters have  been  somewhat  differently  related  by  Dr. 
Kane  in  his  published  volume.  The  Doctor's  memory 
appears  to  have  been  defective  in  some  instances. 
Among  Other  curious  assertions,  ho  states  that  he  had 
reason  to  suspect  that  those  two  "  bad  fellows,"  God- 
frey and  Blake,  had  contemplated  desertion  and  escape 
to  the  Esquimaux ;  and  that  they  intended  to  waylay 
Hans,  rob  him  of  his  dog-sledge,  and  proceed  southward. 
Deeply  do  I  regret  that  Dr.  Kane  died  before  I  had  an 
opportunity  to  ask  him  what  reasons  he  had  for  any  such 
suspicions  as  these  ?  He  says,  **  these  men  were 
watched,  handcuffed,  and  after  protestations  of  better 
behavior  they  returned  to  their  duties."  This  is  all 
purely  imaginative.  Blake  and  I  were  never  handcuffed* 


GRINNELL  EXFLOBINQ  EXPEDITION. 


223 


and  never  made  any  protestations  of  better  behavior, 
because  our  behavior  was  always  as  good  as  any  body 
had  a  right  to  expect.  Dr.  Kane  says  that  I  told  him 
that  I  had  resolved  to  spend  the  rest  of  my  life  with 
the  Esquimaux.  I  never  told  him  any  thing  of  the 
kind ;  and  the  filthy  habits  of  these  savages  were  so 
disagreeable  to  me,  that  nothing  but  the  sternest  neces- 
sity could  have  compelled  me  to  remain  among  them 
for  a  single  week.  This  pious  Commander  says  that  he 
induced  me  to  come  on  board  by  ^^  means  of  a  strata- 
gem." When  he  said,  ^'  I  ask  you,  as  a  friend,  to  como 
on  board,"— was  this  profession  of  friendship  a  strata- 
gem f  If  so,  it  was  a  very  unworthy  one  ;  and  such  a 
stratagem  as  no  man  who  makes  the  least  pretensions 
to  honorable  feelings  could  use.  But  the  most  absurd 
statement  of  all  is,  that  he  brought  me  '^  a  prisoner  to 
the  brig.'^  Dr.  Kane,  in  physical  constitution,  was  the 
feeblest  man  on  board  of  the  Advance,  I  should  have 
defied  any  two  .of  the  strongest  of  the  brig*8  company  to 
make  me  **  a  prisoner."  This  preposterous  statement, 
therefore,  needs  no  denial.        -   »  ,     '.      -, 

In  order  to  show  that  the  Doctor  is  condemned  on 
his  own  confession,  and  that  his  account  of  this  matter 
carries  its  own  refutation  with  it,  I  will  quote  the  de- 
cision of  an  impartial  authority ;  an  authority  which 
was  not  likely  to  be  influenced  by  any  feelings  of  favor 
or  prejudice.  The  extract  I  give  below  is  taken  from 
a  notice  of  Dr.  Kane's  book  in  the  "  North  British  Re- 
view." It  will  be  observed  that  the  writer  here  quoted 
had  no  knowledge  of  the  facts  of  the  case,  except  what 


m 


...  j^^;*-; .-.-  -s,  .;.-i.iSfeter'ft 


224 


GODFREY'S  NAR&ATIVE  OF  THE 


he  (lorivod  from  Dr.  Kane's  own  statements;  and  these, 
aa  I  have  shown,  are  made  as  favorable  as  they  could  he 
to  the  Doctor's  side  of  the  question  :  ^,;   ♦  ,,r^,  ^ , 

**  In  this  emergency,  (says  the  Reviewer,  with  Dr. 
KiiTio's  volume  before  him,)  an  event  occurred  of  so 
serious  a  nature  that  if,  in  one  of  its  results,  it  threat- 
ened evil  to  the  Expedition,  ii*  another  it  might  have 
justly  withdrawn  from  it  that,  high  protection  which 
they  daily  sought.  (Here  the  Reviewer  alludes  proba- 
bly to  Dr.  Kane's  frequent  petitions  to  the  Throne  of 
Grace.)  On  Sunday,  the  18th  of  March,  it  is  recorded 
in  Dr.  Kane's  journal,  that  he  had  on  board  ^  a  couple 
of  men,  William  Godfrey  and  John  Blake,  whoso  former 
history  he  wouhl  like  to  know — bad  fellows,  both  of  them, 
but  during,  energetic  and  strong.'  He  had  reason  to 
think  that  they  contemplated  desertion  and  escape  to 
the  Esquimuuxr-an  act  doubtless  of  trivial  delinquency, 
when  we  consider  that  those  two  men,  with  six  others 
were  formerly  allowed  to  withdraw,  with  half  the 
stores  of  the  Expedition,  and  that  Dr.  Kane  took 
credit  for  rciceiving  them  back  again,  though  an  incum- 
brance to  his  party.  Dr.  Kane,  however,  viewed  tho  act 
through  the  eyes  of  his  imagination.  He  conjectured 
that  the  intention  of  the  deserters  was  to  rob  Hans  of 
his  sledge  and  dog-team  and  proceed  southward.  The 
men  were  watched,  handcuffed,  and  after  protestations 
of  better  behavior  they  returned  to  their  duties.  An 
hour  after,  Godfrey  escaped,  and  Blake  remained  true 
to  his  post. 

"  Hans  had  now  been  many  weeks  absent,  and  Dr 


-■■  ■■•*  '-■":  ■"■■;■ 


.'■■.■» -?;'.---.^-^*^»;;("^j*«»^---i  j'up-f-'r.-^ry-' 


OltlNNELL  EXPLORINQ  EXPEDITION. 


225 


Kane,  anxious  for  his  return,  set  out  in  search  of  him. 
Hans  is  found  !  Godfrey  had  urged  him  to  drive  off 
with  him  to  the  south,  *  and  so  to  leave  the  Expedition 
sledgeless  ;*  but,  upon  Hans'  refusal,  Godfrey  consented 
to  take  a  sledge-load  of  fresh  meat  to  the  brig !  On 
the  morning  of  the  2d  of  April,  Bonsall  '  reported  a 
man  about  a  mile  from  the  brig,  apparently  lurking  at 
the  ice-foot !'  Dr.  Kane  and  Bonsall  went  forward  and 
discovered  their  dog-sledge  with  a  cargo  of  walrus-meat, 
which  had  been  brought  by  Godfrey,  *  and  was  such  a 
God-send,'  that  Dr.  Kane  declares,  *  one  may  forgive 
the  man  in  consideration  of  the  good  he  has  done  for 
us  all.'  Godfrejr  advanced  to  meet  Dr.  Kane,  and  told 
him  that  he  had  resolved  to  spend  the  rest  of  his  life 
with  the  Esquimaux,  and  that  neither  persuasion  nor 
force  would  prevent  him.  After  forcing  him  back  to 
the  gang-way  by  presenting  a  pistol,  and  leaving  him 
under  Bonsall's  charge.  Dr.  Kane  went  on  board  for 
irons,  but  he  had  hardly  reached  the  deck  when  God- 
frey *  turned  to  run.'  Bonsall  discharged  his  pistol  at 
him,  which  *  failed  at  the  cap,'  Dr.  Kane  *  jumped  at 
once  to  the  gun-stand  ;'  his  first  rifle  went  oflf  in  the 
act  of  cocking ;  and  the  second,  aimed  in  haste  at  a 
long  but  practicable  distance,  missed  the  fugitive.  *  He 
made  good  his  escape,  before  we  could  lay  hold  of  an- 
other weapon.*     '       •         .   •■'-  ,\ 

"  This  attempt  to  take  the  life  of  William  Godfrey, 
which  no  law,  human  or  divine,  can  justify,  was,  fortu- 
nately for  Dr.  Kane,  over-ruled.  When,  in  a  formei 
Arctic  expedition,  its  leader  shot  a  ferocious  Indian  of 


> 


m^ 


OODnilT'S  NARRATIVE  OT  TBI 


his  party,  the  world  viewed  it  as  an  act  of  stern  neces- 
sity and  personal  safety ;  but  Godfrey  was  neither  a 
madman  nor  an  enemy.  He  approached  the  brig  to 
intimate  his  resolution  to  live  with  the  Esquimaux :  as 
if  to  claim  a  friendly  acquiescence,  he  brought  with  him 
a  load  of  food,  without  which  his  shipmates  might  have 
perished.  Were  we  disposed  to  argue  this  question  at 
the  bar  of  pur  readers,  we  would  say  that  the  previous 
permission,  which  was  offered  and  accepted,  to  with- 
draw with  half  the  crew,  had  dissolved  the  original 
obligation ;  but  no  argument  is  required.  Dr.  Kane 
tells  us  that  *  the  daily  work  went  on  better  in  God- 
fiicy's  absence,  and  that  the  ship  seemed  better  when 
purged  by  his  desertion ;  but  thinking  the  example  dis- 
astrous, he  resolved,  cost  what  it  might,  to  have  him 
back.'  A  month  had  nearly  elapsed,  when  a  report 
arose  that  Godfrey  was  at  Etah,  with  the  !Esquimaux; 
and  the  moment  Dr.  Kaiie  heard  it,  he  ^  resolved  that 
he  should  return  to  the  ship.'  He  accordingly  set  off 
to  Etah,  caught  him  by  a  stratagem,  and  brought  him 
*a  prisoner  to  the  brig/  A  prisoner,  indeed!  Dr. 
Kane  had  been  without  food  in  his  man-hunt  of  eighty 
miles,  and  when  the  filth  of  the  walrus-steaks  ofifercd 
him  by  an  Esquimaux  *  rendered  it  impossible  for 
him  to  eat  them,"  William  Godfrey,  who  must  then 
have  been  at  large,  administered  to  his  wants  by  *  bring- 
ing to  him  a  handful  of  frozen  liver-nuts.*  This  *  strong 
and  healthy  man,'  too,  neither  handcuffed  nor  foot- 
cuffed,  ran  peaceably  by  his  captor's  chariot ;  and  dur- 
ing the  future  toils  and  trials  of  the  Expedition,  we  fiud 


QAINNILL  EXPLORING  KXP£J)ITION. 


227 


maux:  aa 


liim  placed  in  situations  of  trust,  and  performing  all  tho 
duties  of  his  station^    '    r*       :    ".-^^    '5,      ''       •  ■    " 

"  We  have  prcsfcnted  this  singular  story  fully  to  our 
readers.  It  is  pregnant  with  instruction;  and  if  it  is 
not  fitted  to  ^  adorn  a  tale,'  we  may  use  it  to  *  point  a 
moral'  touching  a  theme  of  duty  which,  however  deeply 
engraven  on  the  tablets  of  Christianity,  has  not  yet 
been  apprehended  by  the  Christian  community.  The 
chief  of  an  expedition,  apprehensive  of  inconvenience 
to  his  party  from  the  desertion  of  an  individual^  de- 
mands the  forfeit  of  his  life  !  Is  not  this  a  true  type  of 
what  a  Christian  tolerates  as  defensive  war,  a  type  in- 
structive in  its  individuality,  and  more  instructive  still 
in  its  results  ?  A  monarch,  like  an  expedition  chief, 
takes  offense  nt  an  act  of  real  or  supposed  aggression. 
He  assumes  that  the  safety  of  his  throne  demands  re- 
taliation. His  armies  march  into  the  field,  and  his 
ships  quit  their  moorings.  Ilis  subjects  become  pirates ; 
and  passion  and  self-interest,  under  the  guise  of  patriot- 
istn,  rush  with  their  fiery  cross  into  peaceful  and  happy 
communities,-  and  hurry  into  eternity  millions  of  souls 
unshriven,  and  unfit  to  die." 

The  article  from  which  the  above  extract  is  made, 
was  published  originally  in  the  "North  British  Review," 
and  was  republished  in  the  "  American  Eclectic  Maga- 
zine of  Foreign  Literature,  Science  and  Art,"  for  April, 
1857 :  being  the  leading  article  of  that  number.  The 
"Eclectic  Magazine  "  is  published  by  W.  H.  Bidwell,  No. 
6  Beekman  street.  New  York.    ^^'^-  ^^^'^ -^    f'^  ^ 

The  reader  will  perceive  that  Dr.  Kane  has  admit- 


,.■  ■■  '/f 


228   .  GODFREY'S  NARBATIYE  OF  TIIB 

ted,  in  his  own  journal,  almost  enough  for  ray  justifi- 
cation ;  MUt  there  are,  in  his  book,  references  to  myself 
which  do  me  great  wrong,  and  which  the  Reviewer 
quoted  above,  for  want  of  any  knowledge  of  the  facts, 
has  not  contradicted.  I  never  persuaded  Hans  to  run 
away  and  "  leave  the  expedition  sledgeless."  I  sus- 
pect that  Hans  invented  that  story  to  ingratiate  himself 
with  the  Commander,  by  making  a  display  of  his  own 
fidelity.  I  was  not  a  fugitive  from  the  brig ;  for  I 
made  no  secret  of  my  intention  to  leave  her,  and  I 
walked  away  boldly.  I  did  not  "  attempt  to  run"  when 
Bonsall  kept  guard  over  me ;  and  if  I  had  wished  to 
make  my  escape  in  that  craven-like  manner,  the  ice 
about  the  vessel  was  too  rough  to  admit  of  running 
There  are  many  other  errors  in  Dr.  Kane's  account ; 
but  not  wishing  to  cast  any  unnecessary  obloquy  on 
the  character  of  the  deceased,  I  will  now  submit  my 
case  to  the  judgment  of  the  public.  I  would  not  have 
presumed  to  obtrudo  my  private  wrongs  on  the  atten- 
tion of  the  public,  with  such  a  prolixity  of  detail,  were 
I  not  assured  that  this  case  involves  several  questions 
of  general  interest.  And  I  wish,  by  the  exposure  I 
have  made,  to  give  a  wholesome  warning  to  persons 
"dressed  in  a  little  brief  authority,"  who  may  be 
tempted  to  "  play  fantastic  tricks  before  high  heaven." 
I  would  teach  them  the  useful  lesson  that  the  victims 
of  oppression,  however  abject  may  be  their  state,  may 
find  a  tongue  to  speak ;  and  by  proclaiming  their  injuries 
in  tones  which  the  world  cannot  refuse  to  hear,  obtain 
redress  for  their  wronsrs.  even  at  an  earthlv  trihun:il. 


'i.jL.  '■'^■^  ^.^  *.'^ 


-^    *     f-    j.^CI 


OUMNELL  SXFLOBINQ  XXFSDXTX0I7.  229 


-i!:-  .? 


,\,      :,.  :*";;^. - 


•  ;-.v 


V',        W/' 


.i^^,;>.  CHAPTER   XXIII.  ■■:. 


' "  '■   *  ' 

*         *f 


THE  AUTHOR  GOES  ON  ANOTHER  PROVISIOX-HUNTINO 
EXPEDITION— HE  CHASES  A  BEAR — MUTINY  AMONG 
HIS  DOQS — HB  SHOOTS  A  SEAL  AND  SATISFIES  THE 
DEMANDS  OF  THE  CANINB  MUTINEERS — SCARCITY  OF 
PROVISIONS  AT  ETAH — THE  AUTHOR  EXTENDS  HIS 
JOURNEY  TO  ANOTHER  SETTLEMENT-^MEETS  WITH 
THE  MEN  WHO  TOOK  "  GODFREY'S  COREilAL" — THEIR 
APPRECIATION  OF  THE  JOKE — A  BEAR  FIGHT — VA- 
RIOUS ADVENTURES — GODFREY  RETURNS  TO  THE  BRIO 
WITH  A  LOAD  OF  FRESH  MEAT. 


■'•'■'>^>^.-*«^»-.  Ki}rwmM 


'/-{<■■  '^ 


Before  I  had  been  on  board  two  weeics,  our  stock 
of  fresh  proviBions  again  gave  out ;  for  our  men  **  eat 
like  threshers;"  as  people  generally  do  when  they  are 
recovering  from  a  spell  of  sickness.  Mr.  Brooks,  who 
acted  as  first  officer,  desired  me  to  take  a  sledge  and 
dog-team,  provide  myself  with  such  small  articles 
as  I  thought  would  answer  for  trading  with  the  Esqui- 
maux, and  go  to  some  of  the  native  villages  where  there 
was  any  likelihood  of  obtaining  more  meat.  As  I  ob- 
served once  before,  our  supplies  of  beads,  knives,  and 
other  marketable  articles,  bad  become  very  scarce.  I 
had  observed,  however,  that  the  Esquimaux  set  a  vory 
20 


•»  "« 


230 


qodfret's  nabkatiye  or  tbi 


high  value  .on  pieces  of  wood  of  any  kind ;  m  fact, 
among  them  there  is  no  hotter  currency  than  old  barrel 
staves,  scraps  of  pine  plank,  broken  boxes,  &c.  1  broke 
up  a  number  of  old  pork  barrels,  and  ladened  my  sledge 
vrith  the  fragments^  confident  that  I  should  find  very 
willing  customers  for  this  kind  of  merchandise.  In 
addition  to  my  wooden-ware,  I  had  a  small  lot  of  nee- 
dles and  two  knives ;  the  last  that  could  be  spared  from 
the  brig.  I  traveled  alone  with  a  team  of  four  dogs, 
proceeding  southward.  When  about  thirty  miles  from 
the  brig,  I  discovered  a  bear  on  the  ice,  and  imme- 
mediately  gave  chase.  My  dogs,  who  were  considera- 
bly more  than  half  starved,  became  almost  frantic  and 
unmanageable  at  the  prospect  of  a  feast.  Though 
obliged  to  drag  the  heavily  laden  sledge  after  them, 
they  darted  oS  in  pursuit  of  the  bear,  running  at  a  sur- 
prising rate,  considering  their  incumbrances.  When 
the  chase  had  lasted  for  about  an  hour,  I  saw  that  it 
was  all  lost  labor,  as  the  bear,  having  nothing  to  carry 
but  his  own  weight,  left  us  further  behind  him  every 
moment.  I  therefore  held  in  my  dogs^  and  attempted 
to  turn  their  heads  in  the  direction  I  wished  to  travel; 
but  the  hrutes,  made  desperate  by  hunger,  showed  a 
determination  to  resist  my  authority.  They  were  much 
to  be  pitied,  indeed,  on  account  of  their  cruel  disap- 
pointment; but  necessity,  *^the  tyrant'd  plea,"  com- 
pelled me  to  use  severe  measures  to  make  them  tracta- 
ble. When  they  found  that  I  would  not  allow  them  to 
follow  the  bear,  they  threw  themselves  on  their  haunches 
and  filled  the  air  with  the  most  diabolical  howling.    I 


OSINNXLL  EXPLORINQ  EXPEDITION. 


231 


cut  away  mth  mr  whip,  right  and  left,  but  this  had  no 
efifect  on  their  obstinacy.  I  got  out  of  the  sledge  and 
seized  one  of  the  leaders  by  the  collar  to  drag  him 
along,  but  the  rascal  gave  me  a  pretty  bad  bite  on  tho 
arm,  and  so  compelled  me  to  relinquish  my  grasp. 
The  contest  lasted  for  half  an  hour,  and  not  until  the 


j.-'i^u» 


bear  was  quite  out  of  sight  could  I  induce  my  team  to 
move  forward.  The  ravenous  propensities  of  thn  dofs 
often  occasion  vexatious  delajs  in  this  kind  of  travel- 


ans  QonriiKY^fi  NAtinATivR  or  TttI 

hig.'  Having  proooodod  nbout  ton  tniloN  further,  I  naw 
a  piirty  of  bouIn  pliiying  on  tho  ioo.  Boforo  I  loft  tlio 
brig,  I  had  tiilcon  euro  to  provido  my^olf  witli  a  rillo, 
which  was  loadud  and  dupoHitod  in  thu  slodgo  rviidy  for 
use.  I  snatohod  it  up,  and  whilo  tho  dogH  bounded  for* 
ward,  I  took  aim  at  ono  of  tho  amphibioui  animalH  uiid 
fired.  My  shot  toolc  cifuot,  dioahling  tho  Boal  and  pro- 
vonting  him  from  making  \\\s  osoapo  through  an  open- 
ing in  tlio  ioo,  whioli  was  vory  near  him,  and  into  wiiiuh 
all  tho  othor  soals  plunged,  as  soon  as  thoy  hoard  tho 
report  of  tlio  gun.  My  starving  dogs  pounced  on  tho 
wounded  seal  with  romorHoloHS  fury.  In  loss  than  fivo 
minutes,  I  boliovc,  tho  oroaturo  was  torn  to  piouos  and 
complotcly  dovourod.  r^  v.*; 

My  poor  dogs  having  satisfied  their  hunger  for  tho 
present,  wont  on  their  way  with  great  alacrity.  I  miulo 
a  very  quick  trip  to  Etah,  but  found  tho  inhabitantH  of 
that  place  unprepared  for  a  trade.  Wo  had  made  flo 
many  draughts  on  their  provision  department,  that  they 
had  scarcely  enough  left  for  thoir  own  use;  and 
although  they  cast  many  eager  glances  at  my  loud  of 
old  barrel-staves,  they  had  no  eatables  which  they 
could  afford  to  barter  for  that  desirublo  comtnudity. 
What  a  speculation  it  would  bo  for  some  Yankee  sea 
captain  in  the  merchant  service  to  carry  a  load  of  pino 
lumber  to  the  Esquimaux  scttJeroents  !  !^vcry  squiirc 
foot  of  pino  plank  would  command  its  weight  in  costly 
furs,  and  ten  times  its  weight  in  seal  and  walrus-blub- 
ber, which  yield  more  than  their  whole  bulk  of  good 
iamp-oil  I     If  Smith's  Sound  were  only  navigable,  tho 


•''te;; 


j3^^;,-^;< 


>..-vA,;l. 


-f»^»TT,t    TIT    -W 


(tniNNKUi   KXI'liOniNd   KXI'KDITION. 


2!]8 


(Jroonlnnd  trado  wuuM  doaorvo  tho  nttuntion  of  our 
cntorpriiiing  oonntrymon,         '  •.<•,<.      ,-.'  , 

Finding  that  tlirro  wan  no  mnrknt  nt  Kttih  for  my 
vnliiiiblo  niorohnndixoy  I  rrfrcBlicd  niynrlf  a  littlo  at  ilio 
rcnidonoo  of  my  friond  Motok,  and  started  ngnin,  with 
tho  intontion  of  procoodiiig  to  tho  noxt  Hvtthtincnt. 
M<*tok  and  his  \^ifo  ImrncHHod  up  thoir  dog-tcHiii,  mid 
accoiiipaniod  mo  to  tho  noaront  EMquimaux  villii^^c, 
where  wo  found  u  party  of  nativo  hunters,  among  whom 
woro  tho  two  mon  whom  I  had  physicked  with  '*  (lod- 
frcy's  Cordial/'  an  related  in  a  former  part  of  this 
volume.  That  adventure  was  humorously  narrated  by 
one  of  my  patients  to  tho  whole  party,  and  all  of  them 
rognrded  it  as  a  roost  excellent  joke,  though  X  could 
Dover  recall  it  to  my  luomory  without  some  twinges  of 
oonscionoo. 

I  remained  with  these  hunters  for  several  days ;  and 
while  sojourning  with  them  I  participated  in  a  bear- 
hunt,  or  rather  a  hcar-Jighty  tho  rcHult  of  Mhich,  for 
Hotno  time,  was  quite  doubtful.  Our  ursino  antngonints 
were  only  two  in  number,  but  thoy  were  large  and  pow- 
erful fellows,  and  very  ferocious.  We  chased  them  five 
milcH,  when  thoy  turned  to  bny.  Tho  Esquimaux  hunt- 
ers were  armed  with  spears ;  I  had  my  rifle.  Our  dogs 
began  tho  attack  ;  several  of  them  were  snatched  up  by 
the  bears,  who  took  them  in  their  arms,  gave  them  an 
nflfoctionate  squeeze,  and  pitched  them  to  the  distance 
of  twenty  or  thirty  feet.  Two  dogs  were  killed  by 
this  process,  and  three  or  four  others  were  badly  hurt. 
Tho  plan  of  attack  was  for  two  spearsmen  to  apply 

20* 


2d\ 


GODFIi£Y'ti    NAUUATIVE  OF  TU£ 


themaelvos  to  each  bear.  One  of  them  would  give  the 
bear  a  wound  behind  the  shouhler,  and  when  the  bear 
turned  to  execute  vengeance,  the  other  hunter  would 
Btab  him  on  the  opposite  side.  This  phin  worked  very 
well  for  a  while ;  but  a  bear  who  had  received  a  wound 
was  too  quick  for  the  aggressor.  He  turned  suddenly, 
and  gave  the  Esquimaux  a  bite  in  a  very  fleshy  part  of 
the  body  ;  this  successful  repulse  made  the  whole' party 
of  assailants  stand  back  for  a  few  minutes.  I  took  this 
opportunity  to  use  my  rifle,  no  great  skill  in  gunnery 
being  required,  as  I  could  place  the  muzzle  of  my  piece 
within  two  feet  of  my  victim's  nose.  The  ball  pene- 
trated to  the  animal's  brain,  and  killed  him  instantly. 
The  other  bear  was  soon  after  dispatched  by  my  coiH' 
panions  of  the  hunt.  According  to  the  Esquimaux 
rule  of  sportsmanship,  the  game  was  equally  divided 
among  the  members  of  the  party.  I  obtained  nearly 
two  hundred  pounds  of  bear's  meat  as  my  share  of  the 
spoils.  I  likewise  traded  away  my  barrel-staves  to  very 
good  advamtage,  receiving  about  four  hundred  and  fifty 
pounds  of  walrus-flesh  in  exchaiigc  for  the  lot,  out  of 
which  I  reserved  some  twenty  or  thirty  pieces  to  re- 
ward Metek  and  bis  wife  for  the  assistance  they  had 
given  me,  and  for  the  many  acts  of  kindness  and  char- 
ity they  had,  at  various  times,  done  for  our  brig's  com- 
pany. •  -    •  ,    •      '        ■ 

Having  now  as  much  meat  as  I  could  conveniently 
carry  on  my  sledge,  I  took  the  nearest  route  to  the 
brig,  making  but  few  pauses,  and  very  short  ones,  on 
the  way.     Metek  carried  my  load  part  of  the  way  on 


give  the 
tho  bear 
or  woalil 
rked  very 
[  a  >vound 
suddenly, 
\y  part  of 
lole' party 
'.  took  this 
I  gunnery 
[  my  piece 
)all  pene- 
instantly. 
r  my  com- 
ilsquimaux 
y  divided 
cd  nearly 
are  of  the 
e8  to  very 
and  fifty 
)t,  out  of 
CCS  to  re- 
they  had 
and  char- 
rig's  com- 

iveniently 
te  to  tho 
ones,  on 
le  way  on 


'.  ■'•>??«•• 


rm 


K^i^f^^*^  u  Hiynm'"  i  iC^^tMr/M 


■^^''i  ii',i)  V.  '  i"''«>h  ^-f'V,  rO'/i.C^^'f*' 


f» 


tt 


i 


./.■J'  a 


I    -.  -t 


>/ 


>  '>'\; 


ili  'tj/ui 


^       .    !      ^^  -l^j 


1*r 


•  *"  r 


'^  '*       J^'"^  Uo! 


'!  J      V 


■If^i 


Viibll 


1  r       ,\  ■.      tit" 


-"»  t, 


.i*'  ;^fo 


.^mT*; 


f     ^"n.    ,"     T^_f<     ^   (,- 


VTj 


ift>«?'i  '  sjj'r 


^i        ^lii 


^i/i'i'   *'•!.    »j(;  ^/  ,v/'ur 


i-i,*tT?       ^     '    ^^If^'^iP'l^'' 


fjy 


-1^.)  ir*''"!'},:!-)'  ?, '."/'»,;, 


»*.    f 


^^ 


'\r;fi' 


.1!    ,.*»!•. 


«*ti 


iP' 


,i  « 


'i* 


-£'' 


.k*". 


i      i-        .■'T^"-l 


i    -*  '  1       ^ 


il        *' 


'i  .',>-    ..,J»<*    .       t* 


MJ#       /■■> 


ri    ' 


ll   " 


.  t,J*  ! 


''Osia 


'  >*» 


«.  t 


ii: 


*!',.! 


'I  -d't/irf    .,  Cf, 


')  y 


<    ,*v 


^If'  "> 


3  ^,,  ,  ^5^pi<5 


J  5      >-.  I  -     ^      1    "' 


■(■■7T»'«7^f'<T«t"T^»'X*7r" 


QRINNELL  EXPLOKINO  EXPEDITION. 


ast 


bis  sledge,  to  save  the  strength  of  my  dogs  for  the  re- 
mainder of  the  joarney.  When  I  came  within  fifty 
miles  of  the  brig,  the  dogs  began  to  give  out,  as  the 
load  was  too  heavy  for  them.  About  the  same  time  a 
heavy  storfti  of  wind  and  snow  commenced,  and  I  was 
obliged  to  make  an  excavation  in  a  snow-drift  to  ehel- 
ler  myself.  I  gave  my  dogs  a  luncheon ;  then^  wrap- 
ping loyself  up  closely  in  a  bufTalo-skin,  and  burying 
myself  under  the  snow,  leaving  only  a  breathing-hole, 
I  took  a  comfortable  nap  while  the  storm  continued. 
When  I  awoke,  I  found  that  my  dogs  were  so  worn  out 
by  hard  travel,  that  tliey  would  not  be  able  to  drag 
their  heavy  load  to  the  vessel.  I  applied  all  my 
strength  to  the  back  of  the  8le<lge  and  pushed  it  along, 
while  the  exhausted  quadrupeds  walked  in  front.  In 
this  way  we  proceeded  some  three  or  four  miles,  when, 
by  a  very  luckj  chance,  an  Esquimaux  hunter  in  an 
empty  sledge  overtook  me.  His  dogs  were  tolerably 
fresh,  and  I  bargained  with  him  to  convey  my  load  to 
the  brig.  For  this  service  I  agreed  to  give  him  a  piece 
of  pine  board,  about  three  feet  and  a  half  long  and  four 
inches  broad,  which  JL  tore  from  the  back  of  my  sledge. 
You  may  judge  from  this  circumstance  that  pine  boards 
are  very  good  currency  among  the  Esquimaux.  On 
this  journey,  my  only  food  was  raw  walrus-meat,  in  a 
frozen  condition.  I  ran  behind  my  sledge  for  the 
greater  part  of  the  way,  in  orde?  to  lighten  the  labor 
of  my  dogs,  as  the  poor  brutes  wore  completely  wearied 
out.  At  one  place,  while  passing  over  some  very  rough 
Ice,  the  sledge  which  carried  the  load  was  upset ;  this 


938 


GODFREY'S  NARRATIYI  OF  THB 


fj 


accident  made  it  necessary  for  lis  to  unload,  place  the 
sledge  in  its  right  position,  and  then  load  up  agnii>„  I 
performed  all  this  labor  with  uncovered  hands,  having 
never  ac.onstoined  myself  to  wear  gloves.  My  Esqui- 
maux companion  expressed  his  astonishment  at  my 
hardihood.  The  Esquimaux  themselves  do  all  their 
c:)t-door  work  with  hands  closely  covered  wJik  fur  uit< 
tens. 

My  arrival  at  the  brig  with  this  fresh  supply  of  ment 
occasioned  another  jubilee.  Mr.  !^rooks  was  much 
pleased  with  iny  success,  and  warmly  commended  tne 
for  my  quick  performance  of  the  duty.  From  Dr. 
^ane  himself,  I  seldom  or  never  received  any  words  Oi 
signs  of  approbation  or  encouragement.  He  had  set 
me  down  as  a  *'bad  fellow,"  and  a  bad  fellow  he  was 
determined  to  bsive  mo  to  the  end  of  tho  chapter. 


Jv« 


*.     *'  ■ 

•1  \ 


..■■  '« 


""*'. 


^.•■ 

isv- 

V^ri^ 

(r;:  ••. 

*4-« 

hy^'^. 

^■u 

■4--  ■ 

■:•,. 

;? 

>i* 

^^^ 

^i'Ciy;. 

.»-■■ 

Vt' 

■    .,,Y;\ 

S  .< 

;hA: 

,•*. 

r  !^ 

-■■>*■%:''  ... 


.f^ 


f  place  the 
>  agnii>.  I 
ids,  havinir 
My  Esqui- 
snt  at  inj 
[>  all  their 
ith  fur  wit- 

JT'  „v-  .-i,' 

ply  of  me«t 

wa9  inuoh 

nended  me 

From  Dr. 

ly  words  oi 

Se  had  set 

low  he  vim 

ipter.   .4,-,. 
■f  '■ 


•M^ 


J    vd  i-^-  '» 


1       ^  "  f  'i  < 


%J 


^■r^:% 


"*?*t«*     ■*      i*-    iWiirt»-f 


■S'. 


#1' 


U'^ 


t;^,  .ijf  r  R,*/* 


H 


'i^. 


I 


?i''-*    >5    > 


<         ■»* 


-   H 


A  J' 


•"if"- 


1  -< 


'H.   ft 


1-     f-rr  s. 


fa  I-/ 


OBIMMXLL  SXPLOBINa   BXFBDITION.  241 


V    h  ■ 


^^  >»■ 


5wL'  -vj^.^ijv'^ 


CHAPTER   XXIV. 


1/ 


FINAL  ABANDONMENT  OF  THB  BRIO  ADVANOB— HER 
PROBABLE  FATE — COMMENOBMSIiT  OF  A  SLEDOB  AND 
BOAT  JOURNET — HERCULEAN  LABORS  AND  SLOW  PROO- 
RESS — ELOPEMENT  »F  HANS  CHRISTIAN— FATAL  AC- 
CIDENT—DEATH AND  BURIAL  OF  MR.  OHLSEN,  THE 
CARPENTER — SCARCITY  OF  PROVISIONS — ROBBERY  OP 
DUCK  NESTS — SLAUGHTER  OF  SEA-FOWL— WE  MEET  A 
DANISH  BOAT — ^ARRIVAL  AT  UPERNAVICK— OUR  RE- 
CEPTION—EMBARKATION FOR  THB  UNITED  STATES — 
ARRIVAL  AT  NEW  YORK.  ^ 

By  the  15th  day  of  May,  1855,  all  the  preparntions 

for  our  homeward  journey  were  completed.     The  mode 

d  traveling  which  had  heen  decided  on  was  by  boat 

and  sledge  conveyance.    Our  three  boats  had  been 

fixed  on  sledge-runners,  so  that  they  might  be  easily 

transported  over  the  ice  which  surrounded  the  brig. 

While  making  our  adieus  to  the  poor  old  Advance,  wo 

could  not  help  observing  that  there  was  not  a  great 

deal  of  her  left  to  receive  our  valedictories.     We  had 

used  much  of  her  wood-work  for  fuel  during  the  two 

hard  winters  which  we  had  passed  in  this  inhospitatblo 

climate,  and  many  pieces  of  board  and  timber  had  been 

taken  from  the  hull  of  the  vessel  tp  construct  store- 
2i 


•.;,*-.  i-T'atJ- 


242 


oodfriy's  nabrative  or  tbb 


houses,  observatorioB,  &c.,  on  shore.  The  brig  looked 
very  much  like  n  wreck  when  we  left  her;  and  us 
the  Esquimaux  value  wood  more  highly  than  gold,  1 
think  it  is  likebr  that  they  hav«  completely  demolished 

Both  Kane  and  Sonntag  seem  to  regard  our  boat 
journey  to  Upernavick  as  a  stupendous  undertaking. 
I  look  at  it  in  a  somewhat  different  Kght.  It  was,  in- 
deed, a  tedious  and  troublesome  enterprise ;  but  during 
the  whole  time  that  we  were  on  the  route,  we  experi- 
enced less  suffering,  and  were  exposed  to  less  danger, 
than  had  been  attendant  on  some  of  our  previous  jour- 
neys along  the  shores  of  the  Sound  and  in  the  interior 
of  Greenland.  We  were  now  favored  with  daylight, 
and  an  atmospheric  temperature  which  might  be  con- 
sidered almost  pleaaanty  when  compared  with  that  which 
our  people  had  endured  on  former  occasions. 

The  last  scene  on  board  of  the  brig  was  a  very  so- 
lemn one.  Br.  Kane  made  a  prayer  for  Divine  favor 
and  protection,  a  duty  which  the  Doctor  seldom  omit- 
ted at  the  commencement  of  important  undertakings. 
He  appeared  to  have  the  organ  of  religious  veneration 
exceedingly  well  developed.         *^^'   .«nv  /...?i.   . 

The  beginning  of  our  journey  was  very  slow  and  la- 
borious. The  three  ice-boats  (or  boats  on  sledge-run- 
ners,) were  heavily  laden  with  provisions,  tent-fixtures, 
cooking  apparatus,  bedding,  scientific  instruments,  nnd 
some  sick  people.  To  tho  bow  of  each  ice-boat  was 
afiixed  a  rue-raddy,  or  long  strap  made  of  canvas,  by 


^hich  the  men  dragged  the  boat  along. 


J.U10  U|^C1  auvu, 


rn'-'-Jir-^  '-W^:' 


rj-. 


OUINNELL  IXPLORINQ  KXPEOITION. 


2U 


on  Account  of  the  roughness  of  the  ice,  was  not  only 
difficult,  but  almost  an  impossibility.  After  one  hour's 
hnrd  toil,  we  found  that  we  had  advanced  but  half  a 
mile  1  The  strength  of  our  whole  party  was  required 
to  drng  A  single  boat ;  when  we  had  hauled  one  a  little 
tray,  we  returned  for  another ;  and  so  the  work  pro- 
ceeded. But  the  rough  hiilocky  nature  of  the  ice  oc- 
casioned less  trouble  than  its  fragility  in  some  places. 
The  sledges,  with  all  their  loads  and  the  men  who 
hauled  them,  broke  through  repeatedly,  and  then  the 
labor  of  extricating  them  was  immense.  It  appeared 
to  me  that  our  course  might  have  been  made  less  toil- 
some by  a  few  simple  mechanical  contrivances ;  but  as 
I  was  only  *'  one  of  the  men,"  I  did  not  feel  authorized 
to  make  any  suggestions.  I  had  been  taught  by  expe- 
rience that  advising  superior  officers  in  the  naval  ser- 
vice is  a  hazardous  business,  even  iC  your  advice  is  un- 
questionably good.  ^ 

We  passed  the  Esquimaux  settlement  called  Etah, 
vhich  has  been  so  often  mentioned  in  this  narrative. 
The  inhabitants  of  that  village  gave  us  a  great  deal  of 
assistance,  and  supplied  us  with  some  additional  provi- 
sions. But  soon  after  we  left  Etah,  Hans  Christian, 
the  special  favorite  of  the  Commander,  whose  sublime 
virtues  have  been  paraded  before  the  whole  civilized 
world,  was  reported  among  the  missing.  Diligr^iit  search 
was  made  for  him,  but  to  no  purpose.  He  was  never 
seen  after^vard  by  any  of  our  company.  Dr.  Kane, 
who  imagined  that  Hans  loved  him  more  than  all  the 
novld,  was  afraid  that  he  had  been  sucked  in  by  some 


aii%jiafe^|^^^£^y'^''i^ 


244 


Godfrey's  naroatiyb  of  thb 


fissure  in  the  ice ;  but,  in  a  metaphorical  sense,  the 
Doctor  himself  was  "sucked  in."  Huns  had  gone  off 
to  bo  wedded,  and  to  enjoy  the  sweets  of  domestic  fe- 
licity. The  Esquimaux  of  Etah  aided  his  escape,  and 
they  concealed  him  afterward.  Hans  had  been  very 
useful  to  the  Expedition ;  being  a  native  of  Greenland 
and  accustomed  from  infancy  to  the  severity  of  the  cli- 
mate, he  could  endure  more  cold  than  any  of  our  party, 
except  Morton,  Blake,  and  myself.  .        . 


>.-*<SRSk'*H. 


BURIAL    OF  MR.   OHLSEN. 

Our  course  was  nearly  due  southward ;  but  so  slow 
was  our  progress  that,  at  the  end  of  eight  days,  we 


GRINNELL  EXPLORING  EXPEDITION. 


245 


found  ourselves  only  fifteen  miles  from  the  brig.  Be- 
tween Etah  and  Littleton  Island  a  very  melancholy  ac- 
cident took  place.  One  of  the  sledges  having  broken 
through  the  ice,  the  strength  of  all  hands  was  required 
to  lift  it  out.  Mr.  Ohlsen,  the  carpenter,  while  lifting 
at  the  bow  of  the  boat,  ruptured  himself,  and  either  for 
want  of  proper  treatment,  or  because  his  hurt  was  very 
bad,  he  died  two  days  afterward.  We  buried  him  on 
Littleton  Island.  He  was  an  excellent  mechanic  a 
kind-hearted  and  conscientious  man,  and  indefatigable 
in  the  performance  of  his  duty.  His  services  to  the 
Expedition  have  never  met  with  the  acknowledgment 
they  deserved.  He  left  a  wife  and  children ;  and  the 
thoughts  of  their  destitute  situation  very  muc|^  disturbed 
the  tranquillity  of  his  last  moments. 

Mr.  Ohlsen  was  the  third  person  of  our  company  who 
perished  in  Greenland.  His  death  left  but  fifteen  sur- 
vivors of  tho  original  eighteen  who  had  embarked  at 
New  York.  As  a  testimonial  of  respect  to  the  memory 
of  Mr.  Ohlsen,  his  name  was  given  to  a  cape  opposite 
to  Littleton  Island.  ^ 

As  we  had  but  a  short  allowance  of  provisions,  we 
were  ob^igad  to  rely  pretty  much  on  hunting  and  shoot- 
ing for  our  maintenance  during  this  boat  journey.  On 
some  of  the  little  islands  we  found  an  abundance  of 
the  eggs  of  the  eider-duck,  and  we  succeeded  in  shoot- 
ing loons  and  other  water-fowls  in  great  number.  Near 
Hakluyt  Island  we  joined  a  party  of  natives,  who  were 
engaged  in  a  walrus-hunt ;  and  two  of  these  animals 
being  killed,  the  meat  was  fairly  distributed  among  our 
21* 


Ml^^■^y-lM...■.„t.^ 


246 


-p.  - 


aODFUEY'B  NAUIIATIV£  OV  TUB 


combined  forces,  each   man  having  an   equal  share. 
Walruses  appear  in  herds  on  the  ice,  and  may  be  ap- 


WALRUSES  ON   THE   ICB 


proached  with  little  diflBculty,  as  they  are  not  much 
afraid  of  the  human  species.  They  often  make  des- 
perate resistance  when  attacked,  and  they  are  very 
hard  to  kill,  as  their  skins  are  thick  and  hard,  and,  in 
some  places,  impervious  to  a  rifle-ball.    The  Esquimaux 


I  share, 
y  be  ap- 


'v'^ 


:    '-i 


3t  much 
ake  des- 
ire very 
and,  in 
:]iuimaux 


m 


if'f^ 


.m 


ji''  "I,  • 


JtM- 


1.1 


s«      ,   V     ' 


<t  -*' 


OBINNXLL  IXFLORINO  KXPIDITION 


249 


slaughter  them  by  striking  them  with  speftrt  in  some 
vulnerable  parts  of  their  bodies.  While  the  men  were 
engaged  in  hauling  the  boats  along  by  the  tedious  pro- 
cess I  have  described,  Dr.  Kane,  Petersen,  and  I  made 
a  number  of  trips  in  the  dog*sledges  to  several  Esqui- 
mauz  settlements,  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  provi- 
sions, which  we  deposited  at  different  pointn  ou  our 
intended  route* 

Having  passed  over  eighty  miles  of  ice,  we  reached 
open  water  aboat;  the  middle  of  June*     MTe  now  took 
the  runners  from  the  boats,  to  prepare  tiiem  for  \\  new 
mode  of  travel ;  but  as  the  breaking  of  the  ice  'u(.de  the 
navigation  too  perilous  for  any  prcse>  .,   ^ttoropt,  w( 
remained  at  Cape  Alexander  for  sever(  I  days,  to  wait 
for  a  favorable  change  in  the  condition  of  the  water. 
During  the  greater  part  of  the  journey  over  the  ice  wo 
were  accompanied  by  some  of  the  inhabitants  of  Etah. 
When  our  arrival  at  open  water  made  a  separation  ne- 
cessary, they  took  leave  of  us  with  every  appearance 
of  sorrow.     As  soon  as  the  water  became  practicable 
for  boating,  we  embarked  and  iteered  southward,  until 
we  passed  Hakluyt  Island.     The  water  now  became 
very  much  embarrassed  with  ice,  and  we  were  obliged 
to  beat  about  in  every  direction  to  avoid  the  floes.    In 
the  meanwhile,  provisiojus  became  very  scarce,  and  con- 
tinued 80  until  we  reached  Dalrymple  Island,  lat.  76^ 
10',  where  we  laid  in  a  capital  supply  of  duck  eggs,  on 
which  we  feasted  for  the  next  six  or  eight  days.     At 
Cape  Dudley  Digges,  the  cliiFs  are  resorted  to  by  my- 
riads of  aquatic  birds,  loons,  little  auks,  &c.     They  ap- 


* 


250 


godpeey's  narrative  op  the 


peared  in  large  flocks,  so  densely  packed  together,  that 
six  or  eight  were  sometimes  killed  at  a  single  shot.  We 
fared  luxuriously  on  these  delicate  birds,  and  salted 
Bomu  of  them  for  future  use.  '  '     '        ^  '   "         " 

We  pursued  our  course  by  the  edge  of  the  land  ice, 
nlong  the  shore  of  Melville  Bay.  On  the  4th  day  of 
August,  we  were  surprised  at  the  sight  of  a  large  boat, 
with  masts,  which  w.is  lying  among  some  small  islands. 
Soon  after,  we  saw  the  boatmen,  three  in  number,  on 
one  of  the  islands.  They  were  Danes  from  Upernavick, 
who  had  come  to  this  locality  for  the  purpose  of  trading 
with  the  natives.  These  men  were  the  first  civilized 
persons,  (except  our  own  company,)  that  we  had  seen 
for  about  two  years.  The  sight  of  them  occasioned 
some  emotions,  making  us  realize  the  fact  that  we  were 
approaching  our  homes.  The  Daneb,  who  were  engaged 
in  cooking  on  shore,  invited  us  to  partake  of  their  din< 
ner,  and  treated  us  to  two  almost  forgotten  dainties, 
beer  and  tobacco ;  in  requital,  we  gave  them  y.  history 
of  our  adventures.  *"  .       '      ' 

We  arrived  at  the  Danish  settlement,  called  Uper- 
navick, on  the  6th  of  August,  eighty-three  days  after 
we  left  the  Advance,  At  this  place  the  family  of  our 
Danish  interpreter,  Mr.  Petersen,  resided.  The  meet- 
ing between  him  and  his  wife  and  children  was  ex- 
tremely affecting,  and  was  calculated  to  give  the 
bachelor  portion  of  our  party  an  impression  favorable 
to  matrimony.  Petersen  invited  us  to  his  abode,  and 
his  consort  feasted  us  on  hot  cakes  and  coffee.  The 
uuthorities  of  Upernavick  gave  us  the  use  of  an  old  ui- 


;her,  that 
hot.  We 
[id  salted 

land  ice, 
ih  day  of 
irge  boat, 
11  islands, 
imber,  on 
jernavick, 
of  trading 
b  civilized 

had  seen 
occasioned 
it  we  were 
'e  engaged 

their  din- 
n  dainties, 

y.  history 

lied  Uper- 
days  after 
lily  of  our 
The  meet- 
n  was  ex- 
give  the 
favorable 
ibodc,  and 
flfee.  The 
an  Old  ui- 


'\^0^ik'',WfiMurnif''it^'  :.\-r..-:M^ 


rM' 


j.        1^!        ^ft^ 


'^ 


^ 


t  *   iK      (/  f    ft 


>.^^f  .5' I 


# 


il 


=>*ri 


'»> 


r*  --'fa 


4  T- 


■S^' 


t/ 


jft**,-. 


•iK  .  ^ 


,1,      .4V-, 


>»!-"        ''*''t''i'4 


'ir-'M',  ■    .«'  S    > 


•»>'    ./ 
"c    ^ 


>>* 


1  "».>« 


/*•? 


1f»C' 


^> 


/^ 


f\^ 


.M 


.'It ''!•*■■"■  i  VT'--',   "\"~    ; 


ORINNELL  EXPLORING  EXPEDITION. 


253 


lapidated  storo-house  as  a  lodging-room.  Some  of  the 
inhabitants,  especially  Mr.  Craig,  a  clergyman,  attended 
to  our  wants,  and  treated  us  in  a  Christian-like  manner. 
We  continued  at  Upernavick  for  about  twenty  days, 
awaiting  the  arrival  of  a  vessel  which  visits  that  port 
once  every  year.  When  this  vessel  came.  Dr.  Kane 
engaged  a  passage  for  our  whole  company,  with  tho 
understanding  that  we  should  be  landed  at  the  Shetland 
Islands ;  but  wo  were  fortunately  saved  from  such  a 
roundabout  voyage  homeward.  The  Danish  brig  Ma- 
rianna,  in  which  we  embarked,  had  occasion  to  stop  at 
Godhaven,  on  Disco  Island.  We  went  on  shore  at  this 
place,  and  were  well  received  by  the  Governor  and  tho 
inhabitants  in  general.  After  a  stay  of  several  days, 
we  received  intelligence  from  some  Esquimaux  that 
there  were  two  American  vessels  outside.  We  manned 
our  boat  and  reached  one  of  the  vessels,  which  proved 
to  be  the  propeller  Arctic,  which  was  towing  the  brig 
Release,  Both  of  these  vessels  were  commanded  by 
Capt.  Hartsteine,  who  had  come  in  search  of  Dr.  Kane. 
The  reception  of  the  Doctor  on  board  was  enthusiastic. 
Our  men  likewise  met  with  a  hearty  welcome  from  the 
officers  and  crews  of  the  two  American  vessels.  The 
propeller  towed  the  Release  and  the  Danish  ship  out 
of  the  harbor.  We  had  a  prosperous  voyage  to  New 
York.  No  incident  worthy  of  particular  mention  occur- 
red to  us  while  on  our  passage  to  that  city. 


254 


OODraiY'S  NARKATIVl  OF  TBI 


.1 


'M>.:^  #*li?fH^  ,*i    ^    *.?»;■■'  -S'^^l-^i^'i/f  ■ 


'f-:;f. 


!>''! 


V  K 


^Vl'^V^^*'" 


-Ui-f  ,,,-' 


1-1 


■ri?.i 


w,.'.  -jVvit-":^  :■  r:^ 


CHAPTER  XXV. 


.i.Afl     ^    v''-'''^-    '.••'* 'f''^*^-'        ■*;•>'>'»*'•'•'         •.i^'.VT^' 


■M»f 


V'  ",.: 


OONOLtDlNO  OBSERVATIONS— THE  AUTHOR'S  UNFORTU- 
NATE  POSITION-^REBULTS  OF  THE  GRINNELL  EXPEDI* 
TION— WHAT  WAS  DISCOVERED— EXPLORATIONS  OF  TUB 
COAST  —  IMPORTANT  ADDITIONS  TO  GEOGRAPHICAL 
SCIENCE— METEOROLOGICAL  OBSERVATIONS — liIE  OPEN 
POLAR  SEA — SUGGESTIONS  BY  THE  AUTHOR — HE  EX- 
i<  PRESSES  HIS  WILLINGNESS  TO  JOIN  ANOTHER  EXPE- 
DITION. 


■:■  \  -uV^' 


^'■0-^.iVr. 


In  the  oompoaition  of  the  preceding  pages,  circum- 
stances  compelled  me  to  be  as  brief  and  coiicise  as  pos- 
sible ;  I  have  therefore  omitted  the  particular  mention  of 
many  of  my  labors  and  adventures  in  the  polar  regions ; 
but  I  can  conscientiously  say,  in  general  terms,  that  no 
man  labored  more  constantly  and  zealously  than  I  did 
in  the  service  of  the  last  Grinnell  Exploring  Expedi- 
tion. If  I  had  merely  been  unrewarded  for  my  services, 
and  merely  refused  the  credit  which  I  thought  I  had 
deserved,  I  should  have  made  no  complaint ;  but  I  have 
received  such  positive  injuries  as  might  have  justified 
a  resort  to  still  more  vindictive  measures  than  the  pub- 
lication of  this  narrative.  Since  my  return  to  the 
United  States,  I  have  felt  the  effects  of  the  stigma 
which  Dr.  Kane  had  amxed  to  my  character.     The  de* 


GUINNELL  EXFLORINQ  EXPEl^ITIOlf. 


256 


nunciations  of  such  a  high  authority  were  well  calculated 
to  "take  the  bread  out  of  my  mouth."  The  reader 
will  not  be  surprised,  therefore,  when  I  inform  him  that 
I  have  found  it  very  diiUcuIt  to  obtain  employment  In 
a  country  where  Dr.  Kane's  book  has  been  extensively 
circulated ;  and,  for  some  time,  I  was  reduced  to  the 
necessity  of  earning  my  livelihood  by  driving  an  omni- 
bus in  the  city  of  Philadelphia!   ^^'^>*^^*'*^^^^*^  ^^'^-^ 

A  mere  reference  to  these  facts  would  be  a  sufficient 
apology  for  the  publication  of  this  volume.  It  is 
through  no  fault  of  mine  that  the  book  was  not  pub- 
lished sooner.  If  it  could  have  appeared  before  the 
decease  of  Dr.  Kane,  I  should  have  been  much  better 
satisfied ;  but  every  man  who  has  any  experience  in 
the  writing  and  publishing  of  books,  will  know  that  a 
poor  and  obscure  author  must  encounter  many  obsta- 
cles in  the  attempt  to  bring  a  literary  production  before 
the  public.  I  am  indebted  to  the  liberality  and  enter- 
prising spirit  of  Messrs.  Lloyd  &  Co.  for  the  oppor- 
tunity I  now  have  to  give  publicity  to  my  work  ;  and  I 
hope  the  sale  of  the  book  will  be  suficient  to  remune- 
rate those  gentlemen  for  their  geucious  exertions  in 
Ky  behalf.  •■  -■■■■'■■  ^-.y,-     --■■   .■-.-■--'-.•  -  .,-.,.».-■..  ..=r  ^^j^fev 

While  bringing  this  narrative  of  the  Grinnell  Ex- 
ploring Expedition  to  a  conclupion,  it  may  be  proper  to 
inquire  what  that  Expedition  accomplished.  t  is 
scarcely  necessary  to  remark  that  the  enterprise  failed 
in  its  main  object,  viz.  the  search  for  Captain  Franklin 
Dr.  Kane  and  the  persons  under  his  command  suc- 
ceeded in  making  some  "mportant  addition*  to  the  geo- 


y 


S56 


qodfrey'b  naurative  or  Tni 


graphical  accounts  of  Greenland,  by  the  discover}  of 
the  great  Humboldt  Glacier  aud  the  extension  of  tlio 
Kiu"'  coast  of  Baffin's  Bay  or  BrAith'ii!  Soun^l  to  within 
8°  iJ8';  and  the  West  coast  to  witb'n  7°  UO'  i J*  tlty  pole. 
Our  metcorologioal  ob^orvatiuns  likewise  must  iiavo  souio 
intertist  for  thn  public;  but  it  is  to  be  rogrottod  tliat, 
amorg  other  doficiencies  in  the  fitting  out  of  the  Kxpc- 
dition,  no  adequate  provinion  was  made  tor  the  coiulucl- 
ing  of  scientific  research » 

The  diifcovery  of  an  opon  polar  sea,  (if  admitted  to 
ho  a  (jcnuine  discovery,)  would,  indeed,  bo  an  achieve. 
tiif^Tit  of  very  great  importance.  I  do  not  say  that  there 
\ii  any  thing  intrinsically  improbable  in  the  supposed 
existence  of  such  a  sea  iit  the  northern  extremity  uf 
Smith's  Sound ;  but,  for  various  reasons,  I  suspect  that 
no  suoh  discovery  was  made  by  any  member  of  ouf 
party,        ■  ,'   ■     ■  ^        {>        ? 

My  own  experience  and  observations  in  the  polar 
climes  have  convinced  mo  that  exploration  might  bo 
carried  much  further  than  the  7th  degree  of  North  lati- 
tude. I  have  scarcely  a  doubt  that  the  pole  itself  might 
bo  reached,  if  it  is  accessible  by  land  travel  or  by 
Bledge-journeys  over  the  ice.  When  I  made  the  north- 
ward journey  with  Dr.  Hayes,  spoken  of  in  my  narrative, 
I  would  have  proceeded  much  further,  if  my  supplies  of 
provisions  and  the  conditic:  of  my  companion's  health 
had  not  prevented  me.  all  future  journeys  of  tl 

kind,  I  should  prefc^  tr      iing  alone,  so  that  I  might 
'lave  nobody  to  tak(»  ?a/    oX  but  myself.     No";  I  think 


*.U_i.  tC  T 1..-.  J^,l    ^ 

iuai  Jii  X  vivixj  iuuuv;u  hk   • 


I'pe  x3uu6iiu,  aCur  tuO  ciitriincc 


;t^:.l 


Wy":  ""^TT™"^"! 


lovorj  of 
►n  of  the 
to  within 
'  thy  poh'. 

lUVU  8011)0 

Acd  thiit, 
tl«o  Kxpo- 
3  coiuhict- 

Iniittod  to 
n  ncliiovo- 
thnt  there 
supposed 
treniity  of 
tspcct  thnt 
)or  of  oui" 

the  polar 

might  be 

North  hiti- 

elf  might 

vol  or  by 

the  nortii- 

nnrrative, 

supplies  of 

jn's  health 

eys  of  tl 

at  I  might 

ov  I  think 


iO  entiiiuCC 


;s 


-^ 


'-'^f  i-'i^'.TrTHt' 


'"*:-v'     ■r'-'--''--^' 


^^^, 


micm'j'W}';  i,^p.p'  *v*.,^ 


-^..Sf^^ 


-*'-41' 


V    »■        -'r,        'iS,^ 


,*■     f*      ii^ 


Y   M 


■!       v 


K/s    :^U 


m** 


It- 


v^ 


I'-.M 


%■ 


!•**> 


^i,,. 


vKjWIv 


tJVT  »•*--     -fW 


GRINNELL  EXPLORING   EXPEDITION. 


859 


'*'''v^  .'f;^ 


■'-,'^1 

^^1* 

~   >•;>■  (jk 

Sj;.^^, 

e>';'^# 

^  -^.^r 

•,.  .  .!   :>rt-te^', 

of  Smith's  Sound,  and  provided  with  a  sledge  and  good 
(log-team,  a  sufficiency  of  provisions  and  some  necessary 
equipments,  I  could  travel  along  the  land-ioe,  (which 
generally  affords  a  tolerably  smooth  and  practicable 
track,)  to  a  point  very  for  beyond  any  which  haa 
hitherto  been  reached.  My  former  experience  in  this 
kind  of  travel  would  enable  me  to  avoid  many  difficul- 
ties which  an  inexperienced  traveler  might  encounter. 
I  should  be  quite  willing  to  try  this  experiment,  making 
my  remuneration  depend  on  my  success*  Such  an  ex- 
periment, fairly  and  fully  tried,  would  either  confirm 
Morton's  account  of  the  open  sea,  or  prove  that  account 
to  be  erroneous.  Possibly  the  experiment  might  lead 
to  other  results  of  still  greater  importance.  If  another 
Arctic  Expedition  should  leave  the  United  Plates,  I  am 
willing  to  be  one  of  the  party,  provided  I  am  u'>t  '^^loed 
Id  a  situation  of  abject  slavery,  and  am  assured  oi  .-^ach 
good  treatment  as  any  American  freeman,  however  poor 
and  unfortunate  he  may  be,  has  a  right  to  expect. 


■•*    i  ■-''■•  ^-^ -'^^v'   '■•■-■'*i:-  fi-'/  ■:*,■-*■'.-'.      ,  "  •.'*■■ 


^-■'^^- 


-<:,    ■^'^::';^r'. 


-.yy-i 


:?.J-^ 


'-.   'Hr*^: 


THE  ENQ   OF  QODFBEl'S  NARRATIVE. 


■^ 


t 


jtM:- 


••-,;;--|-",      ■     -\fT-T^- 


•*»^ 


"fP      '      ^     'i^-iv*,. 


*   ^*W  I 


'» .    *r. 


,-»t'(-    f-  (I 


■■/> 


»-» 


r    > 


«,r 


A  i   t  '  '^  * 


i^*i  ^'^i'' 


f  r\.tih 


#^'' 


/' 


-J*.^  1'; 


,»^ 


'  ->,• .» 


m 


,T  a* 


aW  »  ?'/^5.*  '     >■  ^H' 'J  fkU^  ,i^.*i   '.    4'>AS,'*3' 


■  «>*   »*  M 


!,    K 


*>s    .l«> 


,6.11  .•Hf 


1f-.<V:.'^-4*tJ'-    '*  ;*;)tv*AjD^ 


?  ^lo.''lf 


:.     "'V.'i  r,',,.  '5r    tpi^. 


4. 


.»"-       **i     -jjs-^li  |.4'.fV'i;. 'Jf.it- 


t. 


V  '.tVt'  •«? 


-*' 


;  ^^"^ 


'(  «' 


'.■<F»i);  ■•Li,lir"%-T 


}{.,<f  <    ■^,  i;  -  :;•.?■    «icirH-.tjr 


■'>^^»i!^/^   ^:.*;?>VV  -^..V  V-^rV    ■;;.,'^;;4'.W. 


*    .'» 


?"r.T 


•.■.,''i.i-.*^,*:«  » 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH 


A''.    '• 


it:^ 


OF 


»^'!     p  ■:    ,.» 


DOCTOR  ELISHA  K.  KANE, 


COHXANDEk  OF  TUB  OftlNNELL  EXPLORINO  IXPEOITION. 


Thb  life  of  a  brave  and  adventurous  man  will  always 
abound  with  incidents.  Whoever  takes  up  this  volume, 
therefore,  with  the  expectation  of  finding  a  record  of 
many  striking  and  surprising  events,  will  certainly  not 
be  disappointed.  ^ 

Elisha  Kent  Kane,  son  of  Judge  John  Kintiing 
Kano,  was  born  in  the  city  of  Philadelphia,  on  the  third 
aay  of  February,  1822.  While  yet  a  boy,  he  received 
a  part  of  his  education  at  the  University  of  Virginia; 
and  even  at  this  early  period,  though  evincing  a  great 
aptitude  for  instruction,  he  was  for  %  time  led  away 
from  his  regular  course  of  study  by  an  irresistible 
longing  after  new  fields  of  discovery.  Almost  as  a 
truant,  the  active  lad,  under  the  superintendence  of  Pro- 
fessor Rodgers,  made  a  tour  of  the  Blue  Mountains  of 
Virginia  for  the  purposes  of  geological  exploration. 
Thus,  unlike  many  American  youths,  whose  ambition 
leads  thoui  to  igaoble  if  not  disorderly  pursuits,  the 

(263) 


Tr^ 


264 


BIOORAPIICAL   BK'  rClI   Of 


very  frolia  of  Elisha's  boyhood  tended  to  the  acquis!, 
tion  of  scientific  information.  Ilis  academical  Htudica 
were  scarcely  retarded  by  this  apparent  intermission, 
and  ho  completed  them  with  as  maoh  honor  as  a  more 
constant  application  could  have  achieved. 

Returning  to  his  native  State,  he,  in  due  course  of 
time,  graduated  at  the  University  of  Pennsylvania, 
first  in  the  collegiate  and  then  in  the  medical  depart* 
ment.  His  favorite  studies  were  those  of  chemistry 
and  surgery  ;  and  his  preference  for  the  latter  may  be 
explained  by  that  devotion  to  whatever  requires  daring 
and  self-denial,  that  impulse  to  brave  those  things  which 
the  weakness  of  our  natures  is  most  inclined  to  shrink 
from,  which  he  always  exhibited.  The  seeds  of  knowl- 
edge fell  in  a  fertile  soil ;  and,  in  1848,  young  Kane 
left  his  Alma  Mater  an  accomplished  classical  scholar, 
a  good  chemist,  and  a  skillful  surgeon.      .:i  i'^j'sjv  /.^  "8, 

His  attention  was  now  turned  toward  the  sea ;  partly 
from  an  extraordinary  fondness,  (we  may  almost  call  it 
a  mania^  for  adventure,  and  partly  because  he  hoped 
that  a  sailor's  life  might  strengthen  a  physical  organi- 
zation whose  fragility  was  a  serious  obstacle  to  all  his 
designs.  He  applied  for  and  obtained  an  appointment 
in  the  United  States*  Navy  ;  and  immediately  after  his 
admission,  demanded  to  be  placed  in  active  service.  Ke 
was  accordingly  appointed  surgeon  to  the  first  Ameri 
can  embassy  to  China.  While  thus  engaged,  leave  of 
absence  was  offered  him,  and  he  readily  availed  himself 
of  the  opportunity  to  travel  over  a  considerable  portion 
of  tho  Chinese  Territory.     He  extended  bis  journey  to 


POBTRAIT   OF  DR.  KANB. 


1 


u'^.^:.jiatiii^tj:£i^lt-.^^\:i.--^.t,.-i...^^*i!-A\ 


s>.-__i  v'.'>Y-f*je('.i>...^.  -Hf^. 


^-K/ 


■  r  ^^^^   r^r  "?*X"I' 


■VV 


•£. 


¥ 


•Vifj;, 


>Si<«>*     '•', 


ti-{**    %?- 


<"  i*4  "- 


<.J  <•, 


^^  V-  *  ^1 


^'-i'-^,-   ll 


•H 


l-'ft 


-1  J 


«*■#    «' 


.l-'^S^i 


^/♦/i. 


I  ?  '  *  * 


'-.'-'Ui'.^r- 


- 1 


Ss  j.i;*T8. 


':%-f:t» 


f      ■■      ,-»Tt..'> 


,*S 


't^v:; 


DOCTOR  ELI8HA  K.   KANE. 


265 


the  Phillipine  Islands,  which  he  explored,  traveling 
principally  on  foot.  He  visited  Ceylon,  and  penetrated 
to  the  very  interior  of  India.     ??%;i^  ^.  .'o/  .^i.,  j^  -■ 

On  arriving  at  the  volcano  Tael,  of  Luzon,  he  could 
not  resist  the  temptation  to  explore  its  crater  ;  an  un- 
dertaking which. was  certainly  as  novel  and  perilous  as 
the  romantic  daring  of  our  youthful  adventurer  could 
have  desired.  But  one  man  had  attempted  it  before, 
and  he  had  failed  in  a  manner  which  was  not  calculated 
to  invite  any  body  else  to  finish  the  exploit.  When 
Dr.  Kane  made  known  his  intention  to  descend  into  the 
fiery  gulf,  he  was  heard  by  his  companions  with  mingled 
fear  and  aimazement,  and  every  argument  was  used,  but 
in  vain,  to  dissuade  him  from  this  enterprise.  His 
inclination  to  try  this  curious  feat  was  as  strong  as  the 
partiality  which  some  young  gentlemen  show  for  the 
recreations  of  the  ball-room  or  opera-house.  Finding 
him  inflexible  in  his  resolution,  a  bamboo  rope  was  pro- 
cared  and  fastened  around  his  waist  by  the  persons  who 
accompanied  him ;  and,  with  misgivings  of  the  most 
painful  nature,  they  lowered  him  into  the  crater  to  the 
depth  of  more  than  two  hundred  feet.  Not  satisfied 
with  this,  he  clambered  down  seven  hundred  feet  further, 
over  masses  of  volcanic  fragments,  scoriae,  &c.  He 
had  provided  himself  with  drawing  materials,  and  now, 
with  as  much  coolness  as  was  ever  displayed  in  so  hot 
a  situation,  he  proceeded  to  make  a  topographical 
sketch  of  the  interior  of  this  terrible  furnace.  He  then 
filled  a  bottle  with  sulphurous  acid  from  the  very  vortex, 
as  it  were,  of  the  volcano,  and  collected  some  geological 
23 


,^} 


2<56 


UIOGRAFIIICAL  SKETCH  07 


^peciirens.  Had  his  stay  been  prolonged  a  rery  little 
while,  the  cause  of  his  death  vronld  have  been  far  differ- 
ent from  what  it  eventually  was  ;  but  he  was  drawn  up 
just  in  time  to  avert  the  oatastrophe>  However,  the 
hot  and  sulphurous  air  of  the  volcano  had  nearly  stifled 
him  ;  and,  after  he  was  dragged  up^  with  unavoidable 
roughness,  over  jagged  fragments  of  rocks  and  harden- 
ed lava,  his  companions,  for  a  time»  were  obliged  to 
support  his  almost  senseless  form,  while  he  gasped  con- 
vulsively for  breath.  He  soon  recovered  himself ;  but 
it  seems  to  have  been  Dr.  Kane's  destiny  never  to  be 
out  of  danger.  The  natives  of  this  region  were  accus- 
tomed to  worship  the  presiding  genius  of  Tael,  whom 
they  regarded  with  the  utmost  degree  of  awe,  as  a 
being  not  to  be  thought  of  without  fear,  or  approached 
rashly  and  without  reverence.  It  may  be  imagined, 
then,  with  what  feelings  they  looked  on  the  conduct  of 
Dr.  Kane,  who  had  presumed  to  penetrate  into  what 
they  considered  to  be  the  inviolable  sanctuary  of  t)ieir 
deity.  At  first,  they  seemed  paralyzed  by  the  audacity 
of  the  youthful  stranger ;  but  these  feelings  were 
quickly  succeeded  by  those  of  fierce  resentment.  Seeing, 
with  increased  wonder,  that  Kane  was  not  stricken 
dead  by  their  insulted  divinity,  they  resolved,  with 
their  own  hands,  to  make  his  life  an  expiatory  sacrifice 
for  his  supposed  impiety.  The  savages  accordingly 
attacked  the  Doctor  and  his  little  party  with  a  mgo 
proportioned  to  their  ignorance,  and  a  desperate  strug- 
gle ensued.  But  the  natives  discovered  that  the  man 
who  had  been  too  much  for  Tael  was  too  much  for  them, 


ry  little 
\T  differ- 
rawn  up 
(ver,  the 
y  stifled 
■voidable 
harden- 
)liged  to 
iped  con- 
self;  but 
er  to  be 
re  accus- 
b1,  whom 
we,  as  a 
>proache(l 
imagined, 
)nduct  of 
nto  what 
r  of  tlieir 

audacity 
igs   were 
Seeing, 

stricken 
ved,  with 
f  sacrifice 

cordingly 
th  a  rnge 
ate  Strug- 

;  the  man 

for  them, 


4    .> 


\     ■'    X      '"',• 


^  Tfij 


.4>- 


^1.    I  --  .•#>  •', 


?S^ 


ij*  SJ      >.. 


I*  r*  «■ 


'  &'f ' 


\ '    I 


-^      ,^  S4  i. 


V^ 


K«4   V    •  » 


'.s 


?i  ns  \ 


"•'*•-     Jkf 


't.  "'■  : 


•'Vf 


.i-     -k. 


«■* 


(t. 


.j»>.        «»  j^ 


i-ii*- 


'*'i. 


r,« 


.«■< 


->■'«' 


'^'i.  ■  --t.1!. 


.T''fci(-i-f(-  ■■■''■■  ■  ■"■■■ 


«-'  %•■;:'•    '■■■     »  "-t;. 


DOCTOR  TUSBA  K.  KANl. 


S69 


and  the  same  intrepidity  which  had  pcompted  Dr.  Kan9 
to  explore  the  voloaiio.  Bayed  him  from  the  conse- 
quences of  that  feat. 

This  adventure  was  followed  hy  a  similar  one  with 
the  Ladrones,  who  likewise  attacked  him,  and  orer 
whom  he  was  likewise  yictorions.  At  this  time,  Dr. 
Kane's  traveling  companion  was  Baron  Loe  of  Prussia ; 
and  in  visiting  the  Ladrone  Islands,  &c.,  their  hardships 
were  so  great  that  the  Baron  lost  his  life  in  consequence. 
While  on  the  same  journey,  Dr.  Kane  ascended  the 
Himalaya  Mountains ;  after  which  be  directed  his 
course  toward  Egypt.  Here  he  formed  an  acquaint- 
ance with  the  learned  Lipsius,  who  was  then  employed 
in  prosecuting  his  archaeological  researches,  and  who  wad 
greatly  pleased  to  find  so  much  love  of  science  in  so 
young  a  mind.  In  company  with  Lipsius,  the  Doctor 
ascended  the  Nile  as  far  as  the  borders  of  Nubia,  and  in- 
spected all  the  most  wonderful  relics  of  Egyptian  anti- 
quity. From  the  Pyramids  "  forty  centuries  looked  down 
upon  hiti: ;"  and,  as  he  surveyed  those  inanimate  piles 
of  stone,  which  are  more  immortal  than  the  skill  which 
planned  and  the  power  which  executed  them,  he  re- 
solved to  leave  for  himself  a  monument  built  of  deeds 
which  have  nothing  to  do  with  time  and  mortality,  and 
whose  foundation  should  be  in  the  love  and  esteem  of 
every  elevated  mind  that  should  come  after  him. 

In  Egypt  he  met  with  a  hostile  attack  similar  to 
that  which  he  had  received  at  the  hands  of  the  natives 
of  India ;  but  in  this  conflict  the  Doctor  was  severely 
vounded  and  narrowly  escaped  with  liis  life.     lie  next 


4bU  ' 


210 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH  OF 


visited  Greece,  which  he  triangulated  on  foot,  and  made 
the  scenes  and  objects  immortalized  in  classic  verse  and 
history  as  familiar  to  his  eyes  as  they  had  long  been 
to  his  imagination.  He  now  felt  a  strong  desire  to 
revisit  his  home  and  relatives,  and  accordingly  set  out 
on  his  return,  passing  through  Italy,  France,  and 
England.       >  .  .'      •    •  iv.  r .  -..'.^    4 

He  reached  his  native  land  in  1846,  at  the  time  when 
the  Mexican  war  had  just  broken  out.  Dr.  Kane  re- 
quested that  he  might  be  sent  to  Mexico ;  but  the 
government  was  pleased  to  disregard  his  wishes,  and  to 
give  him  a  more  dangerous  and  a  far  more  disagreeable 
mission,  which  ultimately  contributed  to  shorten  his 
life.  He  was  ordered  to  the  coast  of  Africa,  whither 
he  sailed  in  the  frigate  United  States,  on  an  expedition 
whose  object  was  the  suppression  of  the  slave-trade. 
Da  Sourza,  the  notorious  agent  of  the  African  chiefs 
and  of  the  Brazilian  slavers,  to  whom  those  chiefs  are 
in  the  habit  of  selling  their  subjects,  furnished  the 
Doctor  with  a  pass,  by  means  of  which  he  obtained 
access  to  the  bara coons  of  Dahomey,  and  surveyed 
scenes  of  tyranny  and  misery  which  were  hidden  by  a 
vail  of  politic  mystery  from  the  rest  of  the  world.  He 
also  inspected  all  the  slave-factories  from  Cape  Mount 
to  the  river  Bonny,  and  might  have  carried  his  re- 
searches still  further  had  it  not  been  for  an  unforeseen 
prevention.  The  coast-fever  seized  upon  that  agile 
and  indefatigable  frame,  and  reduced  him  almost  to  a 
dying  condition.     His  commanding  officer,  Commodoro 


"} 


>,«•(*■"?•";'■   f. 


■'■■,'  -'"•  ■'1,58^5 V''      -F-'^ 


'    ■     \       'i 


»»'.- 


f         •(,       ** 


\r 


*.■  ^ 

*       .V     <' 

.  *  »-    ) 

-.'■^ 

:      V         ;•.     ■•'  •  ^    . 

kk.     *  \ 

/    •'        •      • 

'V«-    M>      ''.'■^' .  ,   V  ■'  '.* 


^    V".k*   . 


■'*.' 


iV     v 


J,'     •■•.-■'*■  * 

■"  "'  *     **  V .  .  •  •  ,^     ; 

-    '       »  J-'      f  •»  •  '   '     '  -^  '    #    .     ' 

-*  ^    *     *  ??<-■..  ^»         '^ 

■*i        •  *    .         '        > 

*     *  '  »  J 


•    "-      ^ 


#^ 


*. 


•1 


^-^ 


^: 


f  ■ 


■   if 


•</ 


DOOTOB  ELISHA  K.  KANl. 


273 


Reed,  sent  hhn  home  on  the  siok  list,  as  the'  only  means 
of  savir /  his  life.  .;-       .« 

On  reaching  home,  Dr.  Kane  soon  became  convales- 
cent ;  but  the  disease  had  so  prostrated  his  constitution 
that  he  never  recovered  from  its  effects.     He  came  to 
the  conclasion  that  his  health  was  irretrievably  wrecked ; 
and,  as  all  his  previous  thoughts  had  been  bent  on 
shaping  for  himself  a  useful  and  exalted  course  of  life, 
nothing  now  remaihed  but  to  consider  how  he  could 
most  gloriously  die.     His  mind  reverted  to  Mexico  as 
presenting  the  most  favorable  field  for  the  acquisition 
of  speedy  renown,  and  for  the  performance  of  those 
services  which  he  wished  to  render  to   his  country. 
Though  now  scarcely  strong  enough  to  walk,  he  called 
in  person  on  President  Polk,  and  expressed  his  wishes 
to  be  actively  employed  in  the  struggle  which  was  then 
in  progress  between  Mexico  and  the  United  States. 
The  President,  perceivii;"  that  the  applicant  was  no 
ordinary  man,  resolved  to  .  ssign  him  a  duty  of  no  ordi- 
nary magnitude.     Our  national  Executive   had  been 
laboring   under  a   serious   embarrassment,  in   conse- 
quence of  a  temporary  suspension  of  its  intercourse 
with  General  Scott,  the  commander  of  the  American 
forces.     While  the  President  wished   to  transmit  to 
General  Scott  some  dispatches  of  great  urgency  and 
importance,  he  had  not  h" 'herto  been  able  to  find  any 
means  of  sending  them  safoly  by  a  route  so  long  and 
80  much  beset  by  the  enemy.     With  these  documents, 
Dr.  Kane,  (though  an  untried  volunteer,)  was  entrusted* 


274 


BIOORAPHIOAL    SKETCH  OF 


and  we  need  not  Bpeak  ^f  the  alacrity  with  which  he 
executed  the  mission.  .<.     *     ^ 

Arriving  at  Puebla,  the  Doctor  found  there  Colonel 
Dominguez  and  his  celebrated  spy  company,  a  band  of 
Mexicans  who  had  joined  the  American  cause,  und  not 
being  willing  to  incur  any  delay  by  waiting  for  traveling 
companions  of  a  bettor  reputation,  he  took  them  for  his 
guide  and  escort.  Near  Ncpaluca,  they  received  the 
startling  information  that  a  large  body  of  Mexican 
troops,  much  superiolr  to  their  own  party  in  force,  had 
been  sent  out  for  the  express  purpose  of  intercepting 
them,  and  that  they  were  now  quite  near.  On  the  re- 
ception of  this  news,  Dominguez  declared  his  intention 
to  make  a  timely  retreat ;  but  Dr.  Kane,  aroused  by 
the  very  mention  of  this  design,  informed  Dominguez 
that  if  he  executed  his  purpose,  he  (the  Doctor,)  would 
take  care  that  the  vengeance  of  the  American  govern- 
ment should  deal  with  the  recusant.  His  arguments 
prevailed;  Dominguez  was  induced  to  advance;  and 
they  soon  encountered  the  Mexican  troops,  who  were 
commanded  by  some  officers  of  distinguished  reputation 
for  valor. 

Dr.  Kane  ordered  a  charge,  which  he  led  in  person, 
and  the  daring  manner  in  which  he  threw  himself  upon 
the  enemy  at  once  surprised  them  and  stimulated  his 
own  party.  Among  the  opposing  officers  were  General 
Gaona^  a  distinguished  veteran,  who  had  defended  the 
Cascie  of  San  Juan  d'Ulloa  against  the  French ;  and 
hia  son,  who  bade  fair  to  achieve  an  equally  honorable 
career. 


211 

H 

a 


H 


i 


1 


I'M 
* 


i 


m 


lich  he 

[Jolonel 
and  of 
knd  not 
aveling 
i  for  his 
red  the 
Icxioan 
:ce,  had 
•cepting 
,  the  re- 
itention 
lused  by 
minguez 
,)  would 
govern- 
guments 
,ce;  and 
rho  were 
putation 

person, 
self  upon 
lated  his 

General 
nded  tbe 
ich;  and 
■lonorable 


.- 1  «^  J  v^t^lUi  kJ>^^^'^-^  i  tJlLi^  Ul  1^ 


i^iJtie^l^SiM^A-.'j 


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23  WEST  MAIN  STRKT 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14380 

(716)  872-4503 


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.#!,<s»-'  ;5>,(.,ie*  • 


'■f-.  ;•,':«  ■ 


DOGTOli  ELTSHA  K.  KANI. 


w 


The  battle  commenced  iii  an  inaiispieioas  manner  for 
Di'.  Kane's  party.  Dr.  Kane's  1101*90  received  a  morta? 
wound  and  fell,  carrying  its  master  to  the  ground. 
The  Doctor,  however,  qoickl 7  disengaged  himiSelf  from 
the  dead  animal;  andj  no  wiae  daunted,  oommenced 
fighting  oJi  foot.     The  younger  Gaona,  j  |;^    ,-.,^ 


.  / 


.&:>^- 


.^.-Jfv 


V' 


■.  f  * . 


"  With  that  stern  joy  which  warriors  feel 
In  foemen  wortbj  of  their  steei," 


chose  Dr.  Kane  for  his  antagonist ;  and  the  conflict 
altogether,  considering  the  limited  force  on  either  side, 
was  one  of  the  most  desperate  and  exciting  that  can  be 
imagined.  Kane,  besides  his  total  inexperience  in  every 
thing  pertaining  to  military  matters,  and  besides  the 
superiority  of  thfe  enemy  in  numbers,  had  the  further 
disadvantage  of  not  being  seconded  by  his  own  country- 
men. He  was  sustained  only  by  a  pack  of  Mexicaa 
tories,  whose  courage  was  very  doubtfulj  and  who  could, 
of  course,  be  instigated  by  no  motives  of  patriotism* 
Yet  such  was  the  effect  of  Kane's  own  personal  prowess 
and  animating  example,  that,  ere  long,  it  was  evident 
that  he  must  become  the  master  of  the  field. 

Young  Gaona  discovered  that  although  appearances 
indicated  that  there  wa?  little  to  be  dreaded  from  his 
adversary's  physical  force,  he  had  a  spirit  that  might 
have  buckled  with  Goliah  himself;  and  their  combat 
was  terminated  by  Dr.  Kane's  sword  passing  through 
t^io  body  of  the  Mexican  cavalier.  Gaona  fell,  cast  one 
look  of  defiance  at  his  victorious  foe  and  closed  his  eyes, 
U 


278 


BIOQRAPHIOAL  SKETCH  Of 


as  he  ipiagined,  forever.  3at  he  was  amazed  to  find 
himself  again  a  conscious  inhabitant  of  this  earth;  and 
still  more  so  to  see  Dr.  Kane  kneeling  beside  him  and 
dressing  his  wound  with  the  utmost  kindness  and  atten- 
tion. The  Doctor,  by  tying  up  a  severed  artery,  had 
preserved  his  antagonist's  life ;  and  the  young  man  is 
probably  still  living  to  attest  the  care  and  skill  of  his 
generous  enemy.        .,-;       •     :  >•  ;>  ^v  ' 

.  General  Tarragon,  General  Gaona,  and  all  their  men 
who  had  not  fled  or  been  killed,  had  been  taken  prison* 
ers ;  and,  with  these  trophies,  our  party  triumphantly 
resumed  their  march.  But,  before  thoy  had  proceeded 
far,  Dominguez  and  his  band,  with  that  base  and  mer- 
ciless ferocity  which  is  always  displayed  by  renegades 
against  their  own  mote  patriotic  countrymen,  announced 
their  intention  to  slaughter  the  prisoners.  Dr.  Kane 
was  infinitely  more  appalled  when  he  heard  what  was 
the_  design  of  his  companions,  than  he  w  ^  have  been 
had  he  himself  been  their  destined  victiioi.  He  forbade, 
he  threatened  them,  b\it  they  heard  only  the  voice  of 
revenge  calling  for  her  bloody  banquet.  He  urged  the 
claims  of  humanity  and  the  laws  of  honor,  but  they 
neither  understood  nor  cared  for  such  arguments.  See^ 
ing  his  companions  advancing,  weapons  in  hand,  against 
the  captives,  he  again  drew  thei  sword  which  had  so 
lately  hewed  out  the  way  tq  victory,  and  prepared,  sin- 
gle-handed, to  combat  the  whole  of  his  Mexican  allies. 
Bent  on  the  massacre  which  they  meditated,  the  latter 
prepared  to  plunge  their  swords  and  lances  into  the 


^'liliii^miett!:^  ^.'^J'liJ.iLi 


DOOTOB  XIISHA  K.  KANI. 


279 


breasts  of  their  prisoners,  who  believed  that  not  another 
moment  of  life  was  left  for  them.  4;^.,^. 

But  er?  the  uplifted  weapons  had  quite  reached  their 
destination,  Kane  threw  himself  before  their  points, 
making  his  own  body  the  shield  of  the  doomed  men ; 
and  a  lance,  which  was  just  about  dealing  the  death- 
blow of  one  of  the  captives,  buried  its  head  deeply  in 
the  thigh  of  their  defender.  The  sight  of  their  gallant 
leader's  gushing  blood,  shed  by  their  own  hands,  pro- 
duced something  like  shame  and  compunction  even  in 
the  minds  of  Dominguez  and  his  followers ;  the  upraised 
blades  sunk  harmless,  nor  was  any  other  attempt  made 
against  the  lives  of  the  prisoners.  The  latter  were  de- 
livered safely  into  the  hands  of  Colonel  Ghilds,  the 
American  Governor  of  Puebla,  by  Dr.  Kane,  who  had 
been  conveyed  to  that  phce.  •  '   .      y  ' 

General  Gaona,  who  owed  to  Dr.  Elane  the  lives  of 
both  himself  and  his  son,  was  a  resident  of  Puebla,  and 
on  his  arrival  at  that  place,  was  liberated. on  parole. 
He  insisted  on  having  the  young  American  removed 
to  his  own  mansion,  where  the  Doctor  lay  ill  for  some 
time,  from  the  effects  of  the  very  dangerous  wound 
which  he  bad  received.  The  Gaona  family  devoted 
their  attention  to  l^im,  as  a  beloved  son  and  brother, 
and  many  a  praver  did  their  patron  saints  receive  on 
his  account.     .  ..? :.  •  j  ^  •  -        ;'   •    ^r    S  -  •'  ^  v     -  >S;  >* 

So  doubtful  was  Dr.  Kane's  recovery  considered, 
that  he  was  actually  reported  as  dead  to  his  family  at 
home.  After  much  suffering,  however,  he  partially 
recovered ;  owing  perhaps  to  the  careful  nursing  which 


i  I 


280 


BtOCtRAFHlCAi:.  SKETOfl  Of 


he  had  received,  bnt  his  wound  was  another  shock  to 
hia  constitution,  by  which  it  was  permanently  affected. 
The  Doctor  consented  to  wait  only  tintrl  he  was  barelj 
able  to  continue  his  journey ;  and  theti,  after  an  affect 
ing  parting  with  the  Gaona  family,  he  hastened  for- 
ward with  the  dispatches  with  which  he  Was  entrusted. 
General  Gaona  and  his  son  were  ever  afterward  iti. 
eluded  among  the  Doctor's  warmest  personal  friends; 
and  when  their  grand-children  relate  the  adventures  of 
their  progenitors  in  the  **  American  war,"  they  will  dwell 
with  enthusiasm  upon  the  chivalrous  conduct  of  Kane. 

Dr.  Kane  suffered  nothing  to  detain  him  until  he 
reached  the  city  of  Mexico,  whero  he  delivered  his  dis- 
patches into  the  hands  of  the  Oommander-in-chief, 
General  Scott.  ;  ;     \  •     . 

Before  he  left  Mexico,  Dr.  Kane  ascertained,  by  bar- 
ometrical  observlations,  the  height  of  the  celebrated  vol- 
canic mountain,  Popocatapetl.  On  his  arrival  at  home, 
he  was  presented  with  a  magnificent  sword  by  the  citi- 
zens of  Philadelphia,  as  a  testimonial  to  his  courage 
and  public  services.  Soon  after,  he  visited  Mexico  on 
a  more  pacific  occasion,  being  ordered  on  the  Coast 
Survey  service,  under  the  direction  of  Professor  Bache. 
It  was  at  this  time  that  the  first  GrinnelJ  Exploring 
Expedition,  in  search  of  Sir  John  Franklin,  was  pro- 
jected, and  Dr.  Kane  immediately  volunteered  his  ser- 
vices toward  an  undertaking  which  was  in  every  way 
calculated  to  interest  his  feelings ;  since  it  at  once 
called  forth  his  benevolence,  his  love  of  science,  and  his 
adventurous  darings     He  was,  to  use  his  own  words, 


i.:.atM   xjKicS^    .4.JW»  tu^ku^^a^  4*  vA«>~^    -4^  K'  ^  ^   «    ~' 


\    ..Mt^kJM^)^•^  1     ^ 


DOOTOB  XUSHA  K.   KANE. 


S81 


*'  bathing  in  the  tepid  waters  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico, 
on  the  12th  of  May,  1850/'  when  a  telegraphic  mes- 
sage reached  him,  in  which  he  was  notified  to  repair  at 
once  to  New  York  for  the  purpose  of  joining  the  **  Ad^ 


vance. 


Nine  days  after  the  receipt  of  this  order,  he  was  a 
good  distance  on  his  way  to  the  North  Pole,  as  senior 
surgeon  and  naturalist  of  De  Haven's  Expedition.  As 
our  readers  are  aware,  no  discoveries  of  any  kind  were 
made  on  this  voyage ;  but  no  blanje  can  be  attached  to 
the  explorers  on  that  account,  as  all  concerned  dis- 
played much  zeal  and  intrepidity.  In  Melville  Bay, 
De  Haven's  vessels  encountered  the  Prince  Albert,  a 
small  schooner  which  had  been  fitted  out  by  Lady 
Franklin  herself;  and,  for  a  short  time,  the  three 
vessels  remained  in  company.  The  second  officer  of 
the  Prince  Albert  was  a  young  Frenchman  named 
Joseph  Rene  Bellot,  who  had  previously  served  with 
much  distinction  in  the  French  Navy,  and  who  was 
noted  alike  for  his  courage  and  humanity.  In  an  evil  hour 
he  espoused  Franklin's  disastrous  cause,  aDd  while  prose- 
cuting the  search  for  him,  not  more  than  a  year  after 
the  date  of  which  we  are  now  speaking,  he  met  his 
death  by  being  crushed  among  the  icebergs.  ' 

At  first  sight,  Dr.  Kane  and  Bellot  were  drawn  to- 
gether by  the  most  powerful  affinities  ;  for  they  were 
as  much  alike  in  disposition  as  in  destiny.  Bellot  was 
surprised  to  find  that,  on  every  topic  of  conversation 
which  was  started,  Kane  had  something  new  and  useful 

to  communicate;  and   Kennedy,  the  Captain  of  the 

24* 


288 


ftlOQRAFmCAL  IKXTOH  Of 


Prince  Albert,  himself  a  very  religious  man,  was  almost 
equally  pleased  at  finding  Dr.  Kane  as  pious  as  he  was 
intelligent.  These  three,  delighted  with  the  congenial 
society  of  each  other,  hunted  together,  explored  to- 
gether, and  together  found  that  religion,  virtue,  and 
friendship  oan  afford  not  contentment  only  hut  pleasure, 
even  within  the  arctic  circle.  But  such  scenes  in  human 
life  are  never  of  long  duration.  De  Haven  and  Leask, 
(the  sailing-master  of  the  Prince  Albert,)  each  deter- 
mined to  pursue  a  different  route.  The  loss  of  Kane's 
society  seemed  to  Bellot  a  pang  almost  unendurable ; 
and  the  Doctor,  ever  after,  held  his  young  friend  in  the 
moat  affectionate  rememhrance. 

After  an  absence  of  about  fifteen  months,  the  Ad- 
vance and  Rescue  returned  from  that  voyage,  the 
details  of  which  are  to  be  found  in  Dr.  Kane's  *^  Per- 
sonal Narrative,"  his  first  book,  which  was  published 
early  in  1858<  Lieutenant  De  Haven,  in  his  official 
report,  while  speaking  of  the  medical  officers  of  his 
vessels,  says  :  "  My  thanks  are  due  to  them,  especially 
to  Passed  Assistant  Surgeon  Kane,  the  Senior  Medical 
Officer  of  the  Expedition.  I  often  had  occasion  to 
col:  lit  him  coiicerniag  the  hygiene  of  the  crew ;  and 
it  is  in  a  great  measure  owing  to  the  advice  which  he 
gave,  and  thd  expedients  which  he  recommended,  that 
the  Expedition  was  enabled  to  return  without  the  loss 

of  one  man."      ».«.•..: i-    r^-. .  ^  -^..:,,':,<\.m.':Ki^'''''    '•■■     -'^ 
It  was  about  this  time  that  Dr.  Kane,  after  so  many 
triumphs,  found  his  conqueror ;  and,  what  is  still  more 
humiliating  to  confess,  submitted  to  the  fetters  of  cap* 


^^.M..    ''•iB.jit^.^,  f 


DOCTOR  ILI8IIA  K.   KANK. 


288 


1-: 


tivity  without  a  single  hostile  demonstration.  Marga- 
ret and  Kttte  Fox,  the  two  younger  of  the  celebrated 
trio  of  **  medium"  sisters,  visited  the  city  of  Philadel- 
phia, where  they  gave  some  demonstrations  of  their 
"  spiritual  gift»."  Probably  from  mere  curiosity,  the 
first  motive  of  all  who  investigate  the^e  matters,  the 
Doctor  attended  one  of  their  circles.        '       >   '  .*   'v 

Margaret  Fox,  concerning  whose  personal  attractions 
much  has  been  said  and  written,  was  then  some  nine- 
teen or  twenty  years  of  age.  She  is  a  young  lady  of 
medium  stature,  with  regular  features,  rather  full  face, 
brilliant  black  eyes,  and  hair  of  a  corresponding  hue. 
What  was  Dr.  Kane's  opinion  with  regard  to  Spiritual- 
ism we  are  not  authorized  to  state ;  but  he  found  that 
there  was  an  "influence"  in  the  above-mentioned  eyes, 
which  the  consistency  of  his  heart  was  not  tough 
enough  to  resist.  The  first  evidence  which  he  gave  of 
bis  affection  was  one  which  proved  not  only  his  good 
sense,  but  his  wish  to  confer  a  solid  and  lasting  benr  Ht 
on  the  fair  seeress.  He  had  her  given  an  excellent 
education  at  his  own  expense,  advised  with  her  teach- 
ers, and  took  pains  to  inform  himself  of  her  progress. 

Why  cannot  we  bring  this  portion  of  our  narrative 
to  that  pleasing  conclusion  which,  with  a  novelist,  would 
be  inevitable  ?  Dr.  Kane's  family  had  risen  to  great 
eminence,  not  only  in  pecuniary  wealth  but  in  the 
honors  of  the  land ;  and  it  was  their  cherished  wish 
that  the  hope  and  pride  of  their  house  should  ally  him- 
self with  the  crime  de  la  crime  of  American  aristocracy. 
Margaret  Fox   was  of  very  humble   birth   and  con- 


~i\s 


ijiinin  rmiiiiiiMi 


W^PW 


284 


BIOORAPIIIGAL  SKETOtt  OP 


II 


[■ 


k 


f 


nections ;  but  this  consideration  had  less  weight  with 
the  Doctor  himself  than  the  fact  of  the  dubious,  and 
to  him  repulsive  notoriety  of  which  she  had  long  been 
the  subject.  The  name  of  "  spirit -rapper,"  with  tho 
pointings  and  gazings  of  the  mob,  the  sneers  of  the 
ribald  newspaper  press,  and  the  imputations  of  char- 
latanry, seemed  dreadful  to  the  man  who  had  fearlessly 
confronted  the  weapons  of  both  savage  and  civilized 
foes.  On  the  one  side,  were  his  love  and  all  the  real 
and  imaginary  perfections  of  its  object ;  on  the  other 
side,  filial  duty  and  that  reputation  which  he  held  more 
precious  than  his  life.  To  a  person  of  the  Doctor's 
kedn  sensibilities,  this  was  really  an  agonizing  dilemma; 
and,  while  he  looked  with  mortification  and  self-blame 
on  his  own  wavering,  it  seemed  almost  equally  impossi- 
ble to  take  or  to  renounce  the  hand  of  Margaret. 

But  it  is  not  to  be  imagined  that  even  love  could  bind 
Dr.  Kane  to  an  inactivity  of  long  duration.  The  un- 
satisfactory result  of  his  cruise  with  De  Haven  was  an 
afflictive  disappointment  to  him,  and  he  was  seized  with 
a  longing  desire  to  make  a  more  thorough  exploration 
in  the  far  North.  The  idea  that  Sir  John  Franklin 
was  still  alive  and  within  the  reach  of  human  aid,  had 
taken  full  possession  of  his- mind;  and,  in  his  dreams, 
he  alternately  saw  the  tear-dimmed  eyes  of  Lady 
Franklin  fixed  upon  him  in  silent  imploration,  and 
heard  the  weakened  voices  of  the  suffering  mariners 
calling  for  release  from  their  icy  prison.  He  addressed 
a  letter  to  Mr.  Grinnell,  in  which  he  expressed  the 
opinion  that  Sir  John  was  now  "  to  bo  sought  for  north 


DOOTOB  ELI8HA  K.  KANE. 

i 


285 


and  west  of  Gornwallis  Island;"  and  added  as  follows: 
''As  to  the  chance  of  the  destruction  of  his  party  by 
the  casualties  of  ice,  the  return  of  our  own  party  after 
something  more  than  the  usual  share  of  them,  is  the 
only  fact  that  I  can  add  to  what  we  knew  when  wo  set 
out.  The  hazards  from  cold  and  privation  of  food  may 
almost  be  looked  on  as  subordinate.  The  snow-hut, 
the  light  and  heat  of  the  moss-lamp  fed  with  blubber, 
the  seal,  the  narwnal,  the  white  whale,  and,  occasionally, 
abundant  stores  of  migrating  birds,  would  sustain 
vigorous  life.  The  scurvy,  the  worst  visitation  of  ex- 
plorers deprived  of  permanent  quarters,  is  more  rare  in 
the  depths  of  a  polar  winter  than  in  the  milder  weather 
of  the  moist  summer ;  and  our  two  little  vessels  en- 
countered both  seasons  without  losing  a  man."  .  -!••  >-' 
The  arguments  of  this  zealous  pleader  induced  our 
government  to  authorize  another  Expedition,  which  was 
to  be  under  Dr.  Kane's  command;  and  Mr.  Grinnell 
proposed  to  dedicate  the  brig  Advance^  (which  had 
formerly  been  used  by  De  Haven,)  to  the  service  of 
this  undertaking.  Dr.  Kane  received  his  orders  from 
the  Navy  Department  in  December,  1852,  and  occu- 
pied himself  with  the  most  active  preparations  for  his 
departure  until  the  30th  of  the  following  May,  when 
the  Advance  set  sail  for  that  dreary  region,  among 
whose  icebergs  she  herself  still  lies  imprisoned.  Thus 
it  was  actually  but  little  more  than  one  month  after  his 
return  from  an  arctic  voyage,  in  which  he  had  endured 
countless  perils  and  hardships,  before  Dr.  Kane  began 
10  prepare  for  engaging  in  a  longer  and  more  venturous 


286 


BIOaRAPmOAL  8KIT0D  Of 


; 


exploration  of  the  same  nature.  In  fact,  lie  had  no 
looner  returned  from  bis  cruise  with  Do  Haven,  than 
he  uras  busied  in  planning  another  departure,  allowing 
himself  no  time  to  rest  and  recover  from  the  fatigue 
and  oppressive  recollections  of  the  scenes  and  labors 
through  which  he  had  so  lately  passed.  ,  .  ^, 

The  particulars  of  Dr.  Kane's  last  arctic  explora- 
tions have  been  detailed  to  our  readers  in  the  body  of 
this  volume.  We  all  remember  how,  during  the  pro- 
tracted absence  of  the.  explorers,  the  apprehension  that, 
in  seeking  to  rescue  Captain  Franklin,  Dr.  Kane  had 
involved  himself  in  that  Commander's  dreadful  and 
xnyeterious  fate,  grew  almost  to  a  hopeless  certainty  in 
the  minds  of  his  countrymen.  Who  does  not  remember, 
too,  how  the  voice  of  joy  and  congratulation  was  heard 
over  the  land  when  the  intrepid  adventurer  returned, 
as  one  from  the  dead ! 

It  may  be  noted,  as  one  among  many  proofs  of  the 
deep  affection  with  which  Dr.  Kane  was  regarded  by  his 
relatives,  that  his  brother.  Dr.  John  Kane,  eagerly  em- 
braced the  opportunity  to  accompany  Capt.  Hartstein's 
Expedition  in  search  of  Elisha ;  and  that  he,  (Dr.  J. 
Kane,)  discovered  traces  of  his  brother  which  might 
have  been  overlooked  by  the  less  watchful  anxiety  of 
the  rest  of  the  party.  ..       ^ 

To  .make  the  satisfaction  of  all  more  complete,  Dr. 
Kane  appeared  to  be  in  decidedly  better  health  than  he 
had  enjoyed  before  his  departure ;  so  thi^t  it  appears 
probable  that  had  he  given  his  system  the  rest  and 
careful  attention  it  demanded,  he  might  have  been  living 


DOOrOB  ILI8BA  K.    KANl. 


287 


it  this  moment.  However,  immediately  after  his 
irrival,  he  set  about  composing  the  history  of  his  Expe- 
dition and  preparing  it  for  the  presp.  It  is  said  that 
his  addresses  to  Miss  Margaret  Fox  were  resumed  on 
his  return  to  the  United  States.  We  feel  some  reluc- 
tance in  making  any  allusion  to  this  delicate  affair ; 
and  we  merely  refer  to  it  as  a  part  of  Dr.  Kane's 
history,  which  we  have  undertaken  to  write.  His 
attachment  is  supposed  to  have  survived  an  absence 
of  more  than  t!7o  years,  during  which  no  correspond- 
eDce  between  the  parties  was  possible.  But  the  same 
obstacles  to  their  union,  which  we  have  previously 
mentioned,  still  existed.  In  the  meanwhile  he  waA 
closely  engaged  in  preparing  his  journal  for  publication. 
Such  a  task  is  always  extremely  heavy  to  one  who  is  un- 
accustomed to  authorship ;  but  Kane  applied  himself 
to  this  new  business  with  untiring  assiduity.  Yet  that 
was  the  very  crisis  when  he  most  needed  repose  and 
recreation,  instead  of  that  close  confinement  and  severe 
mental  labor  to  which  he  devoted  all  his  .ime.  He 
arose  from  his  finished  labor  to  find  that  all  the  health 
and  vigor  he  had  possessed  at  the  time  of  his  return 
were  now  at  an  end ;  and  in  announcing  to  a  friend 
the  completion  of  his  work,  he  observed,  **  This  book, 
poor  as  it  is,  has  been  my  coffin !" 

Then  came  the  almost  unendurable  heat  of  the  sum- 
mer, whose  exhausting  effect  on  the  Doctor's  constitu- 
tion, after  two  winters  spent  at  the  North  Pole,  may 
bo  imagined.  Yet  still,  hard  as  it  may  be  for  somo 
minds  to  conceive  his  motives,  he  thought  more  of  tho 


288 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH  Ot 


preservation  of  other  lives  than  his  own.  The  burden 
of  his  thought  was  still,  '^  Franklin  must  be  saved ;  and 
I  am  ordained  by  Heaven  to  be  instrumental  in  this 
work."  "  This  he  believed,  (says  his  father,  while 
speaking  of  this  strange  yet  touching  fancy  of  the 
Doctor's,)  as  none  but  the  true-hearted  can  believe 
any  thing." 

To  favor  the  resolution  he  had  formed,  the  British 
government,  as  a  testimonial  of  England's  appreciation 
of  his  labors  in  Franklin's  cause,  offered  Dr.  Kane  the 
command  of  another  Arctic  Expedition,  to  be  fitted  out 
at  the  expense  of  that  government.  He  accordingly 
prepared  to  go  to  England  for  the  pur;;>ose  of  entering 
upon  his  mission ;  and  the  news  of  his  intended  visit 
was  received  by  Lady  Franklin  with  such  a  thrill  of 
joy  as  she  had  not  for  years  experienced.  She  had  a 
house  elegantly  furnished  expressly  for  his  use;  and 
awaited,  with  intense  eagerness,  the  arrival  of  every 
steamer,  in  hopes  that  each  was  the  one  which  was  con- 
veying to  her  sight  the  champion  whom  she  had  so  long 
desired  to  meet.        -  -  '^    . 

Two  days  before  Dr.  Kane's  departure,  the  Mayor 
and  a  number  of  eminent  citizens  of  Philadelphia  ad- 
dressed a  letter  to  him,  extolling  his  actions,  expressing 
their  regret  on  account  of  his  ill  health,  and  requesting 
his  attendance  at  a  public  dinner  to  be  given  in  his 
honor.     To  this  he  returned  the  following  answer : — 


Philadelphia,  October  8,  1856. 
Gentlemen :  The  condition  of  my  health  compels  me 


DOCTOR  ELTSITA   K.    KANE. 


289 


to  decline  your  invi'ation.  It  is  especially  grateful  to 
me  that  so  many  names,  associated  with  my  earliest  re- 
collections and  regard,  should  thus  testify  their  kind 
feelings.  I  beg  to  assure  the  gentlemen  whom  you 
represent  of  my  regret  at  being  unable  to  meet  them. 

'  I  am,  very  faithfully,  your  ob't.  serv't. 

E.  K.  Kane. 

To  the  Hon.  Richard  Vaux,  Mayor,  Right  Rev.  Alonzo 
Potter,  and  others.  .      ;      ,  ;  .> 


On  the  very  day  on  which  this  note  was  penned,  Dr. 
Kane  sailed  for  Europe,  and  from  the  steamer's  deck 
took  a  last  view  of  his  native  city.  He  had  wasted 
away  to  such  a  degree,  that  those  who  saw  him  at  that 
time  declared  that  he  appeared  like  a  mere  shadow ;  and 
to  a  friend  who  accompanied  him  to  the  ship,  he  com- 
plained of  extreme  weakness.  But  even  these  symp- 
toms were  less  alarming  to  his  relatives  and  friends 
than  the  fact  that,  for  the  first  time  in  his  life,  he  took 
his  leave  of  them  under  the  impression  that,  with  the 
eyes  of  flesh,  he  should  never  see  them  again.  His 
health  had  been  indiflferent  for  many  years,  and  many  a 
perilous  journey  had  he  undertaken,  but  never  before 
had  the  anxious  family  seen  that  bold  and  intrepid 
spirit  yield  to  a  presentiment  of  disappointment  and 
death.  The  steamer  in  which  ho  embarked  left  Phila- 
delphia on  the  8th  of  October,  1856  ;  she  stopped  at 
Now  York,  from  whence,  on  the  ensuing  Saturday,  she 

Bet  sail  for  England. 
25 


390 


BIOGBAFHIOAL  SKETCH  Of 


^• 


Dr.  Kane  was  received  in  England  with  marks  of 
nnusual  distinction ;  but  he  waived  them  all,  very 
rarely  appeared  in  public,  and  by  avoiding  every 
ostentatious  tribute  which  was  offered  him,  he  proved 
that  the  object  of  his  visit  was  not  the  gratifica 
tion  of  a  vain  desire  of  applause.  The  meeting  between 
Dr.  Kane  and  Lady  Franklin  was  like  that  of  affection- 
ate relatives,  who  had  long  been  separated.  He  still 
clung  to  the  idea  of  another  Arctic  Expedition  ;  but  his 
friends  and  physicians  earnestly  assured  him,  that  if 
he  did  not  seek  relief  in  a  warmer  climate,  he  would 
soon  be  totally  unable  not  only  to  visit  the  North  Pole, 
but  to  stir  out  of  his  room,  or  his  bed.  He  accordingly 
visited  the  Island  of  St.  Thomas,  West  Indies ;  but  ex- 
periencing no  relief  there,  soon  departed  for  Cuba. 
He  seems  to  have  labored  under  a  complication  of 
diseases ;  and  while  far  gone  in  a  consumption,  he  suf- 
fered much  from  inflammatory  rheumatism.  Although 
from  the  insidious  nature  of  Dr.  Kane's  disease,  it  vras 
not  thought  to  be  fatal,  one  of  his  brothers,  on  hear- 
ing of  his  departure  from  England,  set  out  to  meet 
him  at  Cuba.  Soon  after  his  arrival  at  Havana,  Dr. 
Kane  had  a  stroke  of  paralysis.  When  the  news  of 
this  alarming  and  unexpected  symptom  reached  hia 
friends  at  home,  his  mother  immediately  started  for 
Cuba,  accompanied  by  one  of  his  brothers. 

At  this  juncture.  Dr.  Kane's  health  appeared  to  im- 
prove. On  the  arrival  of  his  relatives  he  was  in  good 
spirits,  and  seemed  to  have  some  hopes  for  the  future. 
The  hopes  of  his  friends  rose  likewise,  and  they  pleased 


m   TOR  ILI8HA  K.   KANI. 


•291 


themselves  with  the  idea  that  he  would  soon  accompany 
them  home  in  renewed  health.  Alas !  the  cruel  revul- 
sion was  only  felt  the  more  keenly  by  his  relatives, 
when,  a  few  days  after,  he  was  again  attacked,  and  sunk 
80  rapidly,  that  it  was  impossible  to  escape  the  convic- 
tion that  he  was  dying.  A  telegraphic  dispatch,  dated 
February  13th,  1857,  announced  to  his  friends  in  Phila- 
delphia, that  he  was  not  expected  to  live  through  that 
day.  Contrary  to  his  own  expectation,  and  that  of 
others,  he  was  still  alive  on  the  following  morning. 
His  mental  faculties  were  perfectly  clear,  and  so  re- 
mained to  the  last.  Though  quite  aware  of  his  condi* 
tion,  he  was  as  tranquil  and  composed 


"As  one  who  wraps  the  drapery  of  his  couch 
Around  him,  and  lies  down  to  pleasant  dreams." 

He  was  now  unable  to  speak,  but  in  obedience  to  a  wish 
which  the  watchful  love  of  his  mother  contrived  to  inter- 
pret, she  employed  herself  in  reading  to  him  from  the 
sacred  Scriptures.  While  she  was  reading  the  follow- 
ing passage :  *'  Let  not  your  heart  be  troubled ;  ye  be- 
lieve in  God,  believe  also  in  me.  In  my  father's  house 
are  many  mansions.  I  go  to  prepare  a  place  for  you" — 
his  brothers  perceived  that  he  had  ceased  to  breathe. 
There  was  neither  struggle  nor  groan ;  and  so  gently 
did  he  expire,  that  his  mother  still  continued  reading 
for  some  moments,  unconscious  of  her  loss. 
The  Spanish  9,ijUtI^oriti,e.s  at  Havana,  on  the  occasion 


292 


BIOOBAPHICAL  SKETCH  OF 


I 


I 


of  Dr.  Kane's  death,  made  demonstrations  very  unusual 
with  them,  by  showing  every  possible  mark  of  respect, 
and  following,  in  company  with  some  of  the  most  emi- 
nent citizens,  the  remains  of  the  arctic  hero  to  the 
steamship  Oahawba,  by  which  they  were  to  be  conveyed 
to  New  Orleans.  When  the  body  was  conveyed  on 
board  of  the  steamer,  a  funeral  oration  was  delivered 
by  the  Governor  of  Havana,  Don  Jose  Tgnacio  d'Echa- 
varia.  At  every  city  through  which  the  remains  passed, 
on  their  homeward  route,  every  testimonial  which  grief 
and  respect  could  suggest  was  offered  to  the  memory 
of  the  deceased.  '  .    . 

On  the  afternoon  of  March  11th,  the  railroad  traia 
which  conveyed  the  honored  corse  arrived  at  Philadel- 
phia. The  coffin  was  conveyed  under  a  military  escort 
to  Independence  Hall,  where  the  body  lay  in  state  that 
night,  guarded  by  the  military  company  called  the 
Washington  Grays.  At  12  o'clock  on  the  following 
day  the  funeral  procession  started  for  Laurel  Hill 
Cemetery.  The  coffin  was  covered  by  the  American 
flag,  and  entirely  overlaid  with  the  choicest  flowers, 
among  which  was  a  magnificent  wreath,  contributed 
by  the  ladies  of  Philadelphia.  The  sword  presented 
to  Dr.  Kane  by  his  fellow-citizens,  on  his  return 
from  Mexico,  was  also  placed  upon  the  coffin.  At 
the  Second  Presbyterian  Church,  an  able  and  affecting 
funeral  sermon  was  delivered  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Shields, 
after  which  the  body  was  conveyed  to  its  destined 
resting-place  at  Laurel  Hill,  and  deposited  in  the 
family  vault. 


I 


l-W    1 


DOOTOR  ELI8HA  K.  KANX. 


293 


The  American  muse  has  offered  many  tributes  to  the 
memory  of  Dr.  Kane,  from  among  >rhich  wc  select  the 
following,  by  a  very  young  authoress,  which  w6  con- 
sider very  much  to  the  purpose. 

lilNES  TO  THE  MESIORY  OF  DR.  K  K.  KANE;  WHO  DIED  AT 

HAVANA,  CUBA.  ^ 


BY  MISS  MARQABET  E.  WILMER. 


.r,-o 


A  tropic  eve,  an  ever-vernal  isle, 

Glowed  gorgeous  round  their  musing  hero-guest, 
As  fancy's  future  still  he  bade  beguile 

The  present's  pain,  slow  ravening  in  his  breast. 

He  saw  afar,  a  dark  and  frozen  land, 

Where  only  dwell,  (and  they  how  loath  to  dwell  I) 
One  haggard,  hopeless,  ocean-banish'd  band ; 
To  Aim  they  look,  and  the  imploring  hand 

Outstretch ;  for  he  must  I  .'eak  the  frost-fiend's  spell. 

Upstarting,  saint  or  bard  inspir'd,  he  seems, 
Then  sinks,  to  suffering  feebleness  resign'd, 

As  when  some  captive,  who  of  freedom  dreams, 
Wakes,  at  bis  fetter's  clash,  its  weight  to  find. 

He  bore  a  viewless,  yet  a  crushing  chain, 

Though  to  its  sway  bent  but  the  fragile  dust ; 
For  his  the  conqueror's  soul,  in  martial  plain 
Triumphant,  as  o'er  Fire,  and  Frost,  and  Main ; 
And  his  the  Christian's  ever  dauntless  trust. 


'*  This  boon  alone  from  life  I  crave,"  he  sighed, 
**  To  seek  yon  wanderers  of  the  stormy  pole, 
Till  o'er  one  faithful  lady's  cheek,  the  tide 
Of  anxious  bitterness  no  more  shall  roll. 

25* 


294  raociiiArnioAii  sketoh  or 

yy    MBat  Thou  who,  fh)m  enoh  night  m  hftunts  the  tomb, 

^.   .    ,  Once  heard  my  prayer,  from  the  chill  'wind-lot'd  ipot|* 

Thoa,  through  that  vigil  of  enduring  gloom, 
'  '^        With  thine  own  light,  did'st  still  my  loul  illume: 
Nor  riiall  I  be  in  Death's  dark  shade  forgot'* 

What  though,  where  silent  lies  that  dreamer  pale. 

Now  wave  the  very  flowers  he  lov'd  to  rear, 
He  lives  amidst  us  in  the  wild,  sweet  tale 
''He  left,— the  sum  of  glory  to  declare. 

The  wish,  heroically  kind,  which  woke 

Such  hope  elate  the  lost  of  years  to  save. 
Warm  teeming  in  his  heart,  even  while  it  broke. 
Shall  sympathy's  most  tender  drops  invoke   ^ 
From  all  the  gentle,  chivalrous  and  brave. 


k  ! 


Let  grosser  souls  his  vision  vain  deride. 
Nor  dread  his  *'  freniy"  ere  shall  be  their  own ; 

Such  madnesa makes  the  bard's,  the  hero's  pride; 

lis  to  each  high,  each  generous  deed  allied, 
And  fires  the  bosoms  of  the  Great  alone. 


Dr.  Kane,  at  the  time  of  his  death,  was  thirty-five 
years  of  age,  but  was  still  younger  in  appearance.  He 
was  about  five  feet  seven  inches  in  height.  His  person 
was  extremely  slender ;  so  that,  in  his  best  health  and 
condition,  his  weight  did  not  exceed  one  hundred  and 
thirty  pounds.  His  frame  was  constructed  with  a  de- 
licacy almost  feminine,  which,  with  the  great  refine- 
ment evinced  in  his  whole  appearance,  made  it  difficult 
to  reconcile  his  identity  with  that  of  the  intrepid  ad- 
venturer who  had  endured  the  extremest  hardships  of 
every  quarter  of  the  globe.     His  hair  was  of  a  dark 


yt'. 


t '■^■f^-      ■'! 


DOCTOR  EIJSHA  K.  RANK. 


295 


brown,  or  chestnut  color,  his  complexion  fair,  his  eyes 
dark  gray,  and  so  bright  and  piercing,  that  almost  every 
one  who  saw  him  seems  to  have  been  struck  with  their 
resemblance  to  those  of  an  eagle.  His  forehead  was 
high  and  broad,  his  nose  inclining  to  aquiline,  the 
mouth  and  chin  small,  and  very  finely  cut;  while 
nothing  could  be  more  resolute,  or  more  indicative  of 
cool  and  composed  courage  than  the  expression  of  his 
whole  face. 

Like  most  others  on  whom  Nature  has  hestowed  a 
pleasing  exterior,  Dr.  Kane  was  disposed  to  set  oflf  his 
person  by  all  the  advantages  of  dress ;  and,  while  pro- 
jecting an  Arctic  Expedition,  he  did  not  forget  to  keep 
his  hair  in  curl,  and  to  choose  becoming  vest-patterns. 
His  deportment  was  modest,  even  to  shyness,  and  ho 
could  not  be  brought  to  converse  on  his  own  achieve- 
ments, or  the  honors  which  had  been  paid  to  them.  Ho 
talked  rapidly,  but  with  a  sententious  brevity  and  curt- 
ness  of  expression,  while  all  his  motions  betrayed  the 
restlessness  of  his  disposition. 

Besides  the  narratives  of  his  two  arctic  voyages, 
Dr.  Kane  was  the  author  of  various  scientific  treatises 
and  several  lectures,  on  subjects  connected  with  polar 
exploration. 


THE  END. 


